A Being of Insect and Steel
by Aleron's Sword
Summary: There was one thing I wanted on one of my games. Next thing I know, I become it. Not only do I have to deal with this, but also the things that are trying to either capture or kill me. - Discontinued, will have a rewrite.
1. Prologue

**Even though this is my first fan-fic, this chapter and other chapters be revised due to me not exactly liking it. I also changed the OC's a little to be a bit more believable, in terms of height of sorts. Their perks (Marcus' super strength) will stay though. I hope that this version is better than the original, and as such, Read, Enjoy, and Review.**

**But if you flame, it will be used to roast marshmallows. =P**

**Oh, and allow me to say…F**K YEAH, NEW COMPUTER! Now I don't have to wait for possibly a week for me to type my stories.**

**And the bad news…It's slower than the laptop. A warning to you all; DON'T use Mozilla, slow as hell.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any major company brands. I only own my story and my OCs.**

"Hello" means speech.  
>'<em>Hello<em>' means thought.  
>-<em>Hello<em>- means telepathy.

_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 1: Prologue**_

Murfreesboro TN, USA.  
>September 12, 2011.<span>

*Beebeebeep. Beebeebeep. BEEBEEBEEP. BEEBEEBEEP*

"Ugh…"

I reach my hand over to my nightstand, trying to find my DS.

*BEEBEEBEEP. BEEBEEBEEP. BEEBEEBEEP.*

"Shut up, I'm trying…" I groaned again.

I finally managed to find my DSi XL after listening to it going off for a full minute. After grabbing hold of it, I searched the side of it for the power switch to turn it off. Another ten seconds and I found it. I had my finger try to push it up, only to find that the power button was stuck. "Damnit, not again…" I muttered under my breath as I tried to force the button up again. After a few more seconds, the power switch slid up, shutting the DS off and the alarm.

"Finally…Now to get ready for another day in the Boredom Kingdom…" I pulled myself out of my bed, and shuffled over to my closet. I grabbed the handle and gave it a stern yank. It flew open and nearly smacked me in the forehead. I reached inside and grabbed a pair of blue jeans along with a green t-shirt with headphones on it that said, "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am." I chuckled at the saying, remembering on how many people at school would stop me so they can read what my shirt said.

Right, I should introduce myself. My name is Aleron Bane. I stand around 5'9" tall, weighing somewhere around 175-180 pounds. I have dark brown hair that is mostly kept short. My skin is quite pale, due to me not wanting to stay in direct sunlight (which you may think I'm a Goth, but not)…But it is riddled with freckles, mainly my arms and shoulders. I may not look like it, but I am quite strong, even enough to lift my two-and-a-half years older brother off his feet. I happen to be the 'good' seed of a trio of kids, myself included. My younger sister, Rachel and my older brother, Lucas.

Despite this, I would have to deal with the pains in my life.

My sister is a major one, always bossing me around with her selfish orders and overall laziness. I mean, even when the phones on the table and I'm upstairs, she would call for me to get it for her.

Second would be High-School. The media said it was the 'perfect place to get proper education'. Turns out, it's the opposite as advertised. Pricks that intend on ruining someones life just with a glance. Drugs often slip by unnoticed to other druggies.

There are a few good points though. There are plenty of gamers there as well, mainly those with other DS hand-helds. One of my friends happen to be one of them; Marcus Flint. He stands a few inches taller than me, but not by much. He normally wears red, blue and sometimes black clothing. He has a slight body-builder…uh, build, but that pretty much covers his amazing strength. He can't exactly explain on why he has that strength, but it does help him out in PE classes, mainly with lifting weights or himself. I even seen him with some wicked metal gloves that he says that he got from a special wrestling teacher.

Anyway, back to my life…

"ALERON! HURRY UP! THE BUS IS ALMOST HERE!" I heard my sis yell.

I sighed, _'And, as usual, Drill Sargent Rachel has to inform me of everything._' I sighed inwardly.'_To__ have one day without having to put up with this…'_ I thought to myself, hurrying with brushing my teeth. I rinsed my mouth out and ran to get my backpack, books and DS pack for Marcus. Normally I would be ready before said sibling would announce when the bus is coming. After rushing downstairs and out the front door, I saw the bus waiting at the street, with Queen Rachel getting on.

_'Ah crap!' _I grunted in my mind.

I bolted into a free-run, hoping to get on the bus before it departs. I nearly tripped a couple times, running the whole fifty-yard distance to the bus, but I was able to jump on just as the door closed. Whistling to myself for such a close call, I then proceeded to find Marcus. He always keeps a spot open for me thanks to us being gamer buddies. It took me a bit to find him, but I was able to spot him, head bent down, playing on his DSI as well. Upon sitting down next to him, Marcus looked up from his DS and smiled after seeing me.

"Hey Al." Marcus greeted with my nickname. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing Marcus, just the usual every morning…"

"So, were you able to bring your DS with ya?"

Blinking back, "Yeah, I do." I responded. "So, what version do you have? I got White just last week. You?" I asked back.

"Black." He answered.

I blinked then proceeded to unpack my DS out of my backpack. Yes, we both play Pokemon. But then again, who doesn't? People who seen us playing Pokemon would often mock us for liking it. I would've shot back "What about you? You probably like it but don't admit it.", but better common sense would always get the better of me.

Well, both me and Marcus would like to see whose team would win against each other. He would send out a legendary, usually Reshiram or Kyurem. I would have Zekrom with me, but there is one I would like to get: Genesect. Even though he's an event-only Pokémon, which has yet to be released, he looks like the perfect addition to my team. Genesect just look badass, appears to be robotic, but it's also a bug type. Not only that, but it has a wicked looking cannon on its back.

However, as soon as I opened my DS and turned it on, I had the strangest sense of foreboding, like something is going to happen today. I also thought I heard a voice in the back of my head, but it was too faint to listen to. I just sat there trying to figure out what happened. What was that just now?

"Hellooo, Earth to Aleron, you there?" Marcus questioned, waving his hand in front of me.

I snapped out of the strange trance and looked at him.

"Hey, what happened there? You zoning out like that? Well whatever it was, just ignore it. Also get your stuff together, we're here."

I looked out the window to see if he was right, and what do ya know, he was. The bus was pulling onto the school grounds as I was looking out. '_Geez, was I really zoned out for that long?'_ I wondered. I turned my DS off and put it back in its carrying case, then put that in my backpack. I slung my backpack over my shoulder as the bus came to a stop. One by one, everyone started to get up to get off of the bus. As I stepped off and started walking towards the cafeteria, who else to greet me than two of the guys who screw with me.

'_Ugh, perfect…Just what I need at the start of the day, Butch and Michael.'_ I moaned to myself.

"Hey, wimp!" yelled one of the duo. He was pretty much the leader of the-as I call it-'Make Alerons Life Hell' group. Standing around a staggering 6'7", he must have been held back a few grades to get his stature. He was pretty much the personification of the word 'Intimidation'. Bulging muscles all over his body, as well as a six-pack on his chest, that gets him all the girls (yuck). A perk for being a football player; constant exercise he says. Eating steroids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner says me. The latter seems the more likely.

I try to just walk past them without an incident unfolding. Unfortunately, they had other plans. Another one of the duo, one that is around my height, Michael, got in between me and the cafeteria doors. '_Aw crap._' I groaned. I started to back away from the impeding person, but backed up into Butch.

"Going somewhere?" Butch asked almost sadistically

'Aw_ shit!_' He grabbed me by the collar on the back of my shirt and yanked backwards, throwing me to the ground. I was hurting in my arm as I landed on it. I searched desperately for a way out of this, and then it hit me. Jocks always care about their body muscles, not their brain. It was a long shot, but I tried it anyway.

"HEY LOOK! IT'S JUSTIN BIEBER!" I yelled and pointed towards the high school parking lot.

To my surprise, they both looked in the direction I pointed. I quickly got up and took off running. '_HA! I cannot believe they fell for one of the oldest tricks in the books!_' I smirked to myself.

**-Later that day-**

1:27 pm 4th to 5th period switch.

As I walked to from my 4th period class to my 5th period, that same feeling from this morning was coming back. This time, however, it was much more clearer to me. The voice was back as well, but I still couldn't understand what it was saying. I tried ignoring it, but it was still there, saying things that I wouldn't understand.

When I reached my next class though, it screamed in anger, causing my head an enormous amount of pain. I brought both of my hands to my head, eyes tightly shut, teeth gritting, school supplies dropping to the floor. I stumbled around, trying to escape from the voice and the pain. I ran smack into a set of lockers, getting a good amount of lookers. The last thing I notice was me falling to my knees, letting out a single, agonized scream, then blacking out.

-0-

**Third Person POV:**

Everyone in the hall gathered around the student on the ground. That student screamed almost bloody murder, then collapsed in the middle of the hall. Most of the crowd was worried for him, a heartless few actually snickering at what happened.

"Move, SRO in the area." yelled a voice of authority.

The crowd parted way for a pair of officers, wanting to investigate what was going on. Normally, they would be called in if there was a fight, but they came after they heard the scream nearby. They walked towards the downed student, all the while keeping the other students at bay. Before the officer closest to the student could reach out, another voice cut in.

"STOP! DO NOT TOUCH HIM!"

They whipped around to find where the source of the voice was. Standing at the end of the hall was a trio of people. The two on the sides wore what looks like armor with a cloth robe going down the center, with a shield logo that's half white and half black, with a blue 'P' in the middle with a backward 'Z' behind it. They both wore hoods that had a black X on top of them, right above the forehead. The armor is silver/silver-gray in color.

The man in the center was a curious one. Instead of wearing armor like the two beside him, he wore a white long-sleeve over-shirt with a black long-sleeve undershirt. He had a black baseball cap that had a gray front. The cap covered the top of his tea-green hair that can reach his lower back. On his right wrist, he had a band that was black and whole on the edges, but segmented and gray in the center. His left one had a trio of square bracelets that are worn like a helix. Hanging from his neck was a black orb with a blue ring and two spikes coming out of either side of it. The man was also wearing tan jeans with a small cube hanging from a belt loop, with the center square missing from each side. Tea-green sneakers are what he is wearing, with black bottoms, and a lighter shade of green around it.

The trio approached the unconscious teen, easily making their way through the crowd. The officers were about to object to the trios interference, but a glare from the bodyguards was enough to silence them.

Students were whispering again, mainly wondering who the new arrivals were. Some of them wanted to defend the helpless teen, several students wanted answers, all wanted to know who the hell these guys were.

As the green haired man was inspecting the teen, one person from the group got tired of this event and forced his way through the crowd, heading straight for him. It was the same Jock that nearly man-handled Aleron during breakfast, Butch.

"Hey! Green head!" He bellowed out to him.

The mystery person and his bodyguards all jumped at the sudden outburst, then turned to face the offender.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you are handling my property! Either back off, or I'm going to have some punching bags!" threatened Butch, cracking his knuckles to prove his point.

The two men in armor went into defensive stances, but the green-haired man called them off. He walked forward towards the jock, hands in his pockets, without a look of worry on his face. Butch started to tense up as he drew closer. Even within striking range, this guy was showing absolutely no signs of nervousness. He was less than two feet away from Butch is when he stopped. He looked the jock up and down, sizing him up. When he stopped, he muttered something under his breath, then started to walk back to the unconscious teen.

Butch would _not_ let this slide, "Hey! Where do you think you're going huh? Come here and fight like a real man!" This struck home for Butch, for the green-haired man stopped in his tracks. Butch smiled, knowing this was going to be an easy win.

The man sighed, and let his head hang low for a second. He then said something like "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this…", something that several people of the crowd heard. He then reached for the cube on his pants, then pressed one of the black centers. The small panel slid into the cube, revealing a smaller compartment and a red and white capsule. He tipped the cube to where the capsule landed in the palm of his hand.

Butch stared at the capsule with a questioning look on his face. "What's that green-head? Some kind of toy?"

The man rolled the capsule around in his hand until he found a button on the center of it, on a black line between the red and white. He pressed the button and the capsule grew until it was the size of a baseball. This earned a few gasps from the crowd, all wondering what the strange device is. He pressed the button again, then threw the capsule into the air, where it popped open and a bright light shone out of it. Everyone except the man shielded their eyes. During this, the man spoke, "And so that I don't have to listen to that ridiculous name you gave me, my name is N!"

After the light faded, everyone uncovered their eyes and they all jumped, gasped or stared wide-eyed (and jaw dropped) on what was before them. Hovering in the air was a set of gears, all rotating at the same time. Two of them had what looked like a face. The smallest one was a light gray, has a teal center, has two eyes, one round and the other an X, and an oval shaped mouth. The larger one was a darker shade of gray, two black orb-like eyes, and a pair of what looked like buck teeth when it rotated. The lowest gear didn't have a face, but it had a dull red center that slowly pulsed a brighter color every time the gears made a full rotation. Surrounding the gears was a thin rim will spikes around it as well, being rotated by the red-centered gear.

"Kliiiiinnnklaaaaannng." It called in a slow melody-like sound.

Butch was the first to recover. He pointed mockingly at the gears, an all-too-cocky-grin on his face.

"Wha-? Do you really think that that—those—whatever—things will protect you? It looks pathetic, that's what it is. I bet it's so weak, that just taking one of those out and it will collapse!" he boasted. He walked over to it and reached out with one of his hands, intent on taking the small-faced gear.

A smile crept on N's face while he was reaching for it. As soon as Butch touched the gear, he suddenly had electricity flowing through his body. It was enough for his to be sent flying back through the crowd and into the wall, knocking him out. Most of the people from the crowd done panicked gasps after witnessing this and some even started calling the police. Upon seeing this, N ordered the Klinklang to fry every electrical device in the area.

After being told what to do, the gears sped up dramatically, causing some people to panic and the gem to glow brighter. After a few seconds, it unleashed the energy built up, into an EMP, frying everything electrical in the building. Cell phones, IPods, computers, everything was fried. After this was done, one of the men in armor walked up to N.

"My lord, it appears the boy is largely unharmed, even when he fell unconscious. Shall we give him the serum?" Announced the grunt.

N looked over to the teen, who was still out despite what happened. He then looked back at the grunt.

"No, I think I will give it to him. I have thought long and hard when it came to this. I do not wish to disappoint father." He then pulled out a small vial filled with a purple substance that seemed to move on its own. Looking at it long and hard, then back to the teen on the floor, he then lowered the vial and walked over to him.

After he was standing over the teen, he took one more look at the vial, then the boy. He took a step back, held the vial out, and then dropped it. It shattered against the hard floor, shards flying everywhere, releasing the goo.

He then turned to the two grunts, addressing them, "We are done here. The serum will do its work, then we come back the next day to collect the results."

The grunts saluted then, with N, after recalling his Klinklang, started to walk away. As he walked, he looked back to the teen slowly being covered by the goo. '_I hope that whatever father is having me do is right…'_

**First revised chapter of A Being of Insect and Steel. I hope that this version was better than the last. Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review.**


	2. Changes

**Revised second chapter of A Being of Insect and Steel. Like the last chapter, I am trying to improve these so that they are a better quality. If however, there is something that I missed, tell me via a critique/review.**

**Marcus, one of Alerons friends, was based off of one of my real friends. Same habit with the same amount of his friends, counting me, playing daily races in the cafeteria. However, he doesn't have the same appearance or personality.**

**Now then, onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any major company brands. I only own the story and my OC's.**

-0-

_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 2: Changes**_

**Marcus's POV:**

I heard people screaming as I was walking down the halls to my 5th period class. I stopped on the spot, instantly concerned on happened. You might think that most people would ignore said event, but I knew it had to be something worthwhile if there were so many. Feeling the urge to help, I bolted down the halls, heading towards the source. I zipped past corners, dodging students along the way. As I ran around another corner, I almost ran into a group of people, two of which dressed alike. The third one, who I nearly ran into, quickly side-stepped out of the way. I quickly regained my balance then yelled a "Sorry!" to them, continuing down the hall.

As I ran yet around another corner, I felt as though my heart skipped a beat.

Up against one of the walls was Biff, or Botch, or whoever it was Al complained about, blood seeping out of a wound at the back of his head. He was out cold, but his body would twitch every few seconds, making me think he was still conscious.

In the middle of the hall was the body of a teen, that I instantly recognized as Aleron. Some kind of purple gunk was oozing its way over his body. Wherever it went on his body, the clothes just turned to smoke. Other students were starting to gather at the other end of the hall, trying to figure out what happened and what's going on.

"Oh shit!" I muttered under my breath.

I ran over to his body, got to my knees, then started to rip the goo off of his body. However, every time I took a swipe at the stuff, it just oozed back into place. I then tried to sweep my arm on a part of it, but like before, it just went back like nothing happened. I then just went berserk, clawing at the goo, trying desperately to get it off of my friend. Even when fragments of it are around him, that stuff just kept coming back. It was when the stuff reached his neck is when I stopped. I couldn't stop that goo from covering him, and now I have to watch what happens to him, unable to do anything.

**Third-Person View:**

Marcus, along with other witnesses, watched in horror as the strange goo covered the downed teens head, the hair turning to smoke upon contact. It then proceeded to cover the remainder of Alerons head. It stopped spreading when the last bit of skin was covered. After a few seconds of being still, it then started to constrict at points on his body. It kept constricting at those points, even when bones were breaking inside. The goo was literally changing his body to a whole new shape.

The first to change were the feet. The feet shrunk until they were three quarters of their original length, with the toes merging together and getting thinner at the front until they formed a point. The legs followed after, shortening by three inches for both halves of each leg. Then the shins started to take on a tall pyramid shape, square at the base then getting thinner the further up. The thighs started to flatten and move upwards on the body, they stopped at around the stomach and were as thin as wrists, but wide as an open Chinese fan. They were also at a thirty-degree folds, with the knees jutting out just a few inches. The coloring of both of the legs were a dark purple, with the feet a lighter shade of it.

The torso was next. The body below the new legs joint-points started to take on the shape of an ants abdomen. It was, like the legs, a dark purple as well, but with a lighter shade of it wrapping around the center of it. The ribs of the upper body shattered as it took on a horizontal cylinder shape. There was an audible squish as the organs in the section between the abdomen and the upper body were forced as that area narrowed to where it was as thin as the spinal cord. The chest became segmented vertically, divided into three segments. The outer two slightly larger and thicker than the middle one. The outer-center parts of the 'shoulder' segments was the same light shade of purple.

The arms followed suit, bones snapping from the constriction. The forearms formed a joint in the middle of them, then became trio-pointed pyramid in shape, and like the shins, got thinner as they connected to the second part of the forearm. The other half of the arms stiffened, then started to grow out from the elbows. They continued until they were around five inches out. The fingers and hands fused together with the arms and shrunk, turning a light purple like other areas, until they were only three-inch long points at the end.

The upper part of the spine started to bulge until another limb sprouted out of it. It grew out until it was a good two feet out. Then it started to spread out like an umbrella, but not spreading out entirely in the direction of the head. At the edge of the border grew another bulge, but the front of it turned a steel gray and form an opening at one end, giving the looks of a cannon.

The head was the final part to change. The skull shattered as the head started to widen drastically. It started to take shape like that of the rear limb, widening out and having an 'edge' that makes it look like it was the other half. The top of the head had a bulge like the other had, but it formed nothing else. The eyes vanished and in their place were red lenses that were at least eight inches apart from each other. The nose melted into the skin and the mouth moved up to where it was. The lips melted in along with the teeth, but the mouth melded together and formed what looks like a filter.

After all the physical changes were completed, the goo started to harden, until it took a bit of a shine to it, almost like a well-polished surface of metal.

The transformation was complete.

**Marcus' POV:**

"What…the…hell…did that…stuff…do to him?" I barely managed to say, completely shocked on what just happened to Aleron. Everyone who watched as well were just as shocked as me. Some mouthing wordlessly, others with their jaws hanging low. Hell, even a few of them were crying. Just a few minutes ago, he was lying face down, on the floor, AS A HUMAN! Now? He looks like some kind of screwed up bug/robot/thing. I swear, whoever is responsible is going to pay dearly for doing...this...to him. I just wish there was some way to...Huh?

**Alerons POV:**

_'Ugh, what happened?'_ I muttered to myself.

I slowly started to get up, swaying as I went. It felt like as though someone took my body and twisted it all around, pounding migraine included. Last I remember was a voice screaming in my head. After that, nothing. I placed my hand on my head, to try and apply pressure to my head to lessen the pain. Instead, I felt a claw on my head. Surprised by the sudden foreign touch, I quickly opened my eyes and noticed something else: Everything had a tint of red on it. I brought my 'hand' to my face and did a double take. Instead of my hand, I was looking at a single digit claw. I brought my other 'hand' to my my face and got the same results: another claw.

I went into panic mode after that. I looked all over my body, seeing that the 'twisted all around' feeling was right. I was in what looked like purple armor that was my 'skin'. I also felt a weight on the center part of my back. I tried to look back, but saw nothing. I tried again, same results. I then thought that I would need a mirror to see what it was. I also felt another weight on the lower part of my body. I looked around and, unlike the one on my back, I seen this one. An abdomen was attached to me, forming my 'lower body'. Right now I was thinking that this is some sick twisted dream. I closed my eyes, counted to ten, then opened them. Nope, not a dream. The weights are still there, still seeing red, and...and...

No sense in panicking, I decided to take several deep breaths, to try and calm myself down. As I let the first breath out, I noticed that a robotic-like sound came out. Trying to ignore it, I took several more deep breaths. After a few seconds of doing this, I then looked around to take in my surroundings. I was in the same hall that I fell unconscious in. It was then that I noticed someone was looking at me, with a shocked look. I recognized the person as Marcus, who no doubt was staring right at me. I tried to walk to him, but ended up falling flat on my face, making a loud 'CLONG' upon hitting the floor.

**Marcus' POV:**

I was barely able to hold back a laughing fit. After he managed to calm himself, he tried to walk to me. Barely a single step in and he failed...miserably. Several of the other students in the hall were having trouble trying to keep themselves from laughing as well. I stopped chuckling and continued to stare at 'Aleron'. He was able to pick himself up, although uneasily, from his fall. After picking himself up, we locked eyes with each other, each trying to figure out what to do.

I then breathed in deep, swallowed my fear of what will happen, then broke the stare-down's silence.

"A-Al? Is…Is that you?" I asked, slightly stuttering.

He seemed to understand me, for he nodded. "**Yeah,**" he responded, though sounding slightly robotic now. "**it's me Marcus. How did this happen?**"

Before I could answer his question on what happened, as far as I could tell, I heard the sound of a gun being readied.

"FREEZE! DON'T YOU DARE MOVE A MUSCLE!" a voice boomed.

We both looked towards the source of the sound. It was one of the other SRO's with his pistol in his hands, safety off, aiming straight at Aleron.

My heart sank after thinking that the officer was going to shoot him. He looked at the SRO, then the gun, then went to look at me, but stopped when he saw Butch's body against the wall. His eyes widened as he realized he was a monster to the officer. Not only that, but he was also being falsely accused of attacking Butch.

"**Oh hell…**" he managed to say.

-0-

**Alright, revised second chapter down. I know it's another cliffhanger, but I am trying to write the whole plot out. The scene with Marcus having difficulty remembering Butch's name is a reference to the Pokemon anime, where the character of the same name has the same problem with people remembering his name. Hope you enjoyed, and please review.**

**PEACE!**


	3. A Deceptive Fight

**Revised third chapter of A Being of Insect and Steel. The last version cut off short due to my previous inexperience in fight scenes. In this case, I will proceed with said fight, hopefully making it good as well.**

**Remember the R.E.R.; Read, Enjoy, and Review. Flaming will be used to roast marshmallows.**

"Hello." means normal speech.

"**Hello.**" means Aleron speech.

"_Hello._" and "_**Hello.**_" mean whispers.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any major company brands. I own only the story and the OC's**

-0-

_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 3: A Deceptive Fight**_

-0-

"**Oh hell…**" muttered Aleron, wide eyed.

He had a gun aiming right at him, all because of a misunderstanding. Running was the first thing to cross his mind. He scratched that off because of his new body and failed first step. Staying was out of the question as well. His 'skin' might be made of steel, but he was doubting it would stop a bullet going at the speed of sound. That, and the government would have a hay-day when they got a hold of him.

Students in the crowd behind the officer were talking amongst themselves. Some wanted to suppress the creature before them. Others wanted the officer to shoot it before it got ideas of hurting others. A few of them wanted to defend it, seeing on how it was once human.

Aleron, from his point of view, was f**ked.

Marcus, however, seemed to be forming a plan that will not only get him away from the others, but help Aleron out as well. As both Aleron and the gun-wielding SRO were having their stare-down, Marcus put his backpack down on the ground, then crept up behind Aleron to put his plan into action. Personally, he knew those private wrestling lessons were going to pay off.

He pounced onto Alerons back, then threw him to his side. This caught Aleron, the SRO, and the crowd behind him completely by surprise. Despite being more than a foot shorter than what he once was, he still weighed the same.

Aleron recovered from the surprise attack, getting up to his feet. But Marcus was faster, reaching him before he fully recovered, grabbing him in a headlock.

"_**What the hell are you doing man?**_" demanded a confused Aleron, struggling to get his friends arm off of him without puncturing it. Marcus lowered his head to where he thought his ears were.

"_It may not look like it, but I'm trying to save your ass. Just roll with it and we'll get out of this._" he hissed quietly to where only Aleron heard it. He seemed to understand for he let out a small chuckle.

"_**Alright, but I won't hold back. I am a pretty good actor too.**_" He whispered back.

Aleron then swung his arms up over him, and wrapped around Marcus' back. He then leaned back a bit, then rocked forward, throwing Marcus clear over him and around twenty feet away. Marcus recovered in the air and landed fluidly on his feet.

_'Now to start the act.'_ they both thought at the same time.

Aleron stomped his right foot and – due to his new form, cracked the tiling – then he gave the best fake death glare he had. The glare was convincing enough to send chills down some spines.

"**MARCUS, WHAT THE F**K?**" he bellowed out. "**I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!**"

Marcus stood his ground, taking the glare full-on. "Yeah, we were friends." he shot back. "I knew that as soon as that goo got to your head, it would not only change your appearance, but your mind as well."

He reached for his backpack he put down earlier, unzipped it, reached into the bottom of it, then pulled out a pair of metal gauntlets. They were custom made for some 'special' lessons, not intending to kill, having rounded-flat knuckle areas that look almost like gauntlets from medieval knights. Both were painted red with black stripes running along the knuckles of the gauntlets.

Initially, the SRO who was spectating the fight, but keeping his pistol in his hand, opened his mouth to object to the gauntlets, but Marcus stopped him.

"Before you say anything sir, is now really the time to lecture me? Even in a life-or-death situation?" he questioned while slipping the gauntlets on. "Right now lives are at stake. When he's done with me, who is he going to go after next? Who will he kill? Who will try to stop him? Right now, I'm pretty much the only thing that can end him." The officer closed his mouth as Marcus tightened the gauntlets firmly on his wrists.

Aleron cringed slightly – but was unnoticeable to the others – at Marcus' speech. _'Man, he's good.'_ he said to himself.

As soon as the gauntlets were secured, Marcus punched them together, making a sharp 'clang' sound that echoed through the halls, showing that he was ready for the fight. He got into a fighting stance, left fist held out further than the right. Aleron held his left arm completely out, with the right one over his head. They held their poses for a few seconds, staring the other down.

No one dared to make a sound, even being quiet in their breathing. After nearly twenty seconds of the stare-down, they both lunged at each other, poses intent to kill, minds intent to escape the area.

They both met in the center of the hall, claw meeting metal fist, sending sparks flying. Despite being new to his new body, adrenaline surging through his body allowed him to move almost without fault. After the initial connection, Marcus unfurled his hand and grabbed Al's arm, making him blink in surprise. He then whipped around, bringing Aleron along for the ride. He let go after one full spin, sending his friend screaming down the hall and into a pillar, collapsing the bricks built into it, landing roughly on the floor.

A few of the people spectating the fight were now concerned on Aleron, despite the changes he went through. Some were even crying for what was happening. Several were wanting to help Marcus, this being shown by several cracking their knuckles. The SRO noticed the uneasiness in the group and turned his attention to them.

"Everyone, clear the halls." he ordered. "Move it! I don't care if you object, you are _not_ getting involved in this."

He started to guide the people away from the fight, hoping to prevent the students from getting involved. Personally, he wanted to help as well, but his duty of protecting others came first.

Back at the fight, Aleron was able to pick himself up, only to dodge a punch that took a chunk out of the pillar. Fragments of the now shattered bricks flew everywhere, a few pebbles pinging off Aleron's skin.

_'Holy…'_ Aleron sweat-dropped, surprised on how close he came to losing his head.

Several classrooms opened their doors, with teachers and students poking their heads out. Almost immediately, the teachers started ordering students to stay in the rooms. Despite their efforts, students started pouring out, intent on watching the fight taking place.

Deciding to no longer be on the defensive, Aleron lunged forward, claw acting like a spearhead. He thrust it towards Marcus, who brought his gauntlet-fists up and took the hit head-on. The claw didn't pierce, but it did send more sparks flying. He then reared back, going in for another strike, in which it was blocked. This pattern continued, Marcus being pushed back further and further down the hall, completely on the defensive now.

They reached the catwalk of the main lobby of the school, students crowding around on one end despite the SROs and teachers attempts to keep them in their classrooms. They both stopped in the middle, sparks still flying. Marcus dodged one blow and grabbed Aleron's arm, who started to struggling against his grip.

Marcus was readying for another throw attempt, but was cut off when his head was hit hard by a nasty headbutt from Aleron. He let his grip slip and he stumbled back, hand clutching the impact spot. He ended up backing into one of the pillars on one side of the catwalk, bouncing off slightly.

Aleron, despite feeling a bit of regret for the blow he did, lunged forward, another thrust strike ready. Marcus was able to shake off the disorientation from the blow and move to the side, just dodging the claw. The force of the attack caused some of the cement holding the bricks together to crack. This also got Aleron stuck, who then tried to pull it out.

Marcus, after fully recovering from the blow and disorientation, seized the opportunity and grabbed hold of Aleron's new cannon limb. He then spun his body around, effectively pulling Aleron free from the pillar, but unable to do anything. After a couple of full spins, Marcus let go, sending Aleron flying yet again, this time out a window towards the courtyard. Marcus grabbed hold of the railing of the walkway and pulled himself over, landing with a roll on the ground below. He then bolted out a pair of doors to the courtyard.

-0-

**Revised third chapter. I hope I made the new fight scene decent for all of you. I will probably rewrite bit of the current chapters as well, but also continue writing the newest chapters.**


	4. A Watchful Eye

**Okay, like I said in the last chapter, I'm not exactly going to do fight scenes due to me having it suck a lot. And like I also said, this one will take a different person's POV. Those who've read the first chapter should have an idea as for who, but the rest I'll leave to the chapter to explain.**

**Review time!:**

**Sun and Moon Entity (SaME): Thanks for that review, and don't worry, you got Klinklang spelled correctly.**

**SuperSammyXD: 1. Thanks. 2. IKR? 3. I'll check it out. And 4. I sure as hell will keep on doing it!**

**Alright, I will try to describe the characters and areas as best as I can. If ya flame me for a minor wrong detail, I'll use it to roast marshmallows.**

"Hello" means speech.

"**Hello" **means Aleron speech.

_'Hello' _means thoughts.

"_Hello" _and _**"Hello"** _means whispers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any major company brands. I only own my story and my OC's.**

_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 4: A Watchful Eye**_

Unknown Location.

A single man watched several monitors closely, observing the fight between two beings. One a male around 6 feet wearing metal gauntlets on his hands to give an edge over his opponent, a purple metallic insect with a cannon on his back, who was gracefully dodging every blow. It would've been boring if the insect didn't throw a single attack at the brawler. Sometimes a punch from the iron-knuckled man would connect, throwing the metal insect off balance, only to recover and thrust an arm spike forward only to be blocked by the gauntlets.

The man in question-only able to see his face due to the monitors lighting-has tea-green hair and where his right eye should be is a lens that is silver on the outline of it, but red in the center. He was watching the fight with utmost importance, head on his interlocked fingers. The metal insect was the only thing he was interested in, the other was expendable. He did not care on what happened to anyone, for he only cared about the creature.

"Sage?" Called a voice somewhere in the room.

"Yes?" the man answered, "What do you need?"

Another man came walked up to him, dressed in chain-mail armor-with a half black/white shield logo with a 'P' in the center and a backward 'Z' behind it-along with a central robe going down it.

"Not to question your motives sire, but..." the man-in-armor hesitated before he continued, "but, are you sure about this? I mean, the last time we tried something like this, Lord N stopped it for his own reasons. What would happen if this turns out what we fear?"

The man put his hands to his mouth, deep in thought. After a few minutes of thinking, he finally responded, "You do not need to worry about the consequences. Sooner, or later, weather he likes it or not, our pet will obey." He turned his eyes back to the monitors, where the battle still wages on.

Siegel High School. 2:23 pm.

**Marcus' POV:**

Geez, despite this being a ruse fight, it feels real to me. I'm starting to wear out, and so is Aleron. If we keep this up, he may not get out of here alive. Our fight spilled into the courtyard, where even more people gathered around. I frantically looked around, anything for a way off the grounds and away from people to hide. Then it hit me; the ROTC training forest. If we get in there, we can run the rest of the way to a hiding area. We can't stay in the training area because some of the more tougher students would follow in there.

I went for another grab to inform Al of the change in plans while making the crowds think I'm attacking. I managed to grab a hold of his arms and twist them, without hurting them, behind his back. I leaned in close to let him know, _"Psst, Al, change of plans. Seeing on how we can't get out of the crowds sight easily, I got a different approach to it. Ya know the ROTC training grounds?" _He seemed to know what I was thinking, since he did a light chuckle. _**"Question is, how are you going to get me over there? Last I checked, you can only throw me fifteen or so feet." **_he stated.

I done an evil looking smile that made him cringe slightly. _**"Uh, what do you have on your mind? That smile usually means something bad." **_I just chuckled a little, _"Don't worry," _I mocked while throwing him up, him protesting while in the air "I have my own way with dealing with you!" I yelled to him, still putting up the ruse. Now, what do I have in mind? See, I've been using my fists this whole fight, the reason is that my legs are pretty much, 'super-charged' so to say. Imagine a kick from a football player that can put a good sized dent into a car, and not at full strength, around half a foot in diameter. Now, take that same kick, and multiply the strength by a good fifteen times. Yep, I'm going to kick him out of the park.

I readied my foot under where Aleron will land, getting into a back-flip kick pose. As soon as he started falling, I tensed my leg up, readying the kick. When he was around seven feet above my foot, I flipped back with all my might, bringing my foot into Al's side, sending him flying through the air. I took off after him when I recovered, running past students with their jaws on the ground from my kick. Just as I planned, he was flying towards the ROTC grounds, where I will find him and we'll both escape. He landed hard in the area, and I was able to regroup with him. He was clutching his side from where I kicked him, breathing hard.

"**Jesus, Mary and Joseph dude! Those legs, gah, should be illegal to use in sports!" **he managed to say despite the pain he was in. I just chuckled and held out my hand to help him up. "Come on, we should bolt before more of the students show up." He put his claw into my hand and we started to make our way opposite from the school and crowds.

Unknown Location.

The sage looked at the screens with disgust. He wanted the creature to end his friends life. He was wanting the fight to continue, but only to find out it was a ruse to get away from the other people. He sighed inwardly, wondering on how long it would be until he and a group of minions could capture him. Maybe N was right about this, bringing it back was a waste. But perhaps this 'Aleron' is still unaware of his new capabilities. It would only be a matter of time until he discovers them and uses them to his fullest potential, which would jeopardize his plans.

He got up and, switching the monitors off, walked out of the darkened room.

**Hey-o! Fourth chapter done. I'm sorry if I'm pumping these out too fast to where it feels rushed, but I just want to get the Boredom monkey off my back...Anyway, I thought I would try and go ahead with a small fight scene. It seems to work out a little. Also, it looks like someone's spying on our duo. It seems that he's keeping a close eye on Marcus and especially Aleron. I would also like to point out...182 hits O_o! DAMN! MORE THAN DOUBLE THAN THE LAST TOTAL!**

**R&R and remember, flames will be used to roast marshmallows..=P.**


	5. Trustworthy Friends and News

**Fifth chapter, YAY! HOLY ROGGENROLA! 314 HITS?0_0! Thanks to everyone who read this across sixteen countries. Yeah, readers from SIXTEEN different countries have read this story.**

**I'm not sure if anyone has seen it due to the 'upload rush', but I do have a second story up, The Master of the Land, another TF fic. Also not sure if anyone noticed, but there are references to other stories and series in these chapters. Two of said references are in the second chapter, and one's in this chapter. Okay, slight sugar-rush feeling aside, review time!**

**Cyberfire22: It was originally a note from me asking for help, but I quickly got rid of that. Sorry for confusing anyone that thought the fourth another chapter was up that fast.**

**Okay, let's get this showboat moving people!**

"Hello" means speech.

"**Hello" **means Aleron speech.

_'Hello' _means thoughts.

"Hello" means T.V speech.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any major company brands. I only own the story and my OC's.**

_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 5: Trustworthy Friends and News**_

**Third Person POV:**

Aleron and Marcus ran through the forest, staying at the edge of it to prevent getting lost, but far enough in it to be barely noticeable. Despite putting up the fake fight, no doubt someone managed to record the fight and sent it to the internet. And worse that it would end up on the news. Both of them were heading to a friends house, who would not only help them find out who caused this, but also try to help Aleron change back to normal.

After running for nearly twenty minutes, they stopped to catch their breath. They were deep enough in the forest to where they wouldn't be seen. Aleron plopped down on the ground, taking slow, deep breaths to easy the stress on his lungs, along with his abdomen irritating him slightly due to it being angled with the ground. Marcus laying on his back, face towards the sky, sweat covering his face while he breathed harder to calm his lungs due to the fatigue from the fight. Both were aching from the fight, mainly from the punches, backhands, and kicks. Aleron's side still hurt from where Marcus flip-kicked him, leaving a slight discoloration where he hit, making it a bruise.

After around seven minutes of labored breathing, they turned to look at each other. They locked eyes and held them for over a minute. Then they both slowly start laughing, even though they just risked killing each other back at the school.

"Hahaha,haha,haaa!" Marcus laughed, wiping his eyes after he finished. "Man, I haven't had that much fun since...well, ever!"

"**Heh heh, you said it! That was the most fun I have ever had my whole life!" **chuckled Aleron.

"Yeah, when was the last time we had _that_ much fun?" questioned Marcus. "Since Six Flags? Nashville Shores? Hell, I don't think they would come close to what we just had!"

"**Yeah. Who knew that fighting would be so-" **Aleron started to say before some grumbling interrupted him. Both of them turned to the source of the sounds, Al turning around to find it. They both were looking at the abdomen, where the sound originated from. They stared back towards each other, then broke out laughing again.

"**Man! All this time and I didn't know that I was hungry!" **Aleron blurted out. At this, Marcus' stomach growled as well. This earned a few chuckles from Al and a couple of red cheeks from Marcus. "Well, fate just loves to play with us doesn't it?" He added, making his cheeks back to their normal color. They both got up and continued going the direction they were heading.

Unknown to them though, a lone figure was watching them from the shadows. His tea-green hair braided together to prevent it from getting caught on low-hanging branches. The cap he wore kept the sun out of his eyes while watching them. One of his hands was on an object hanging from one of his belt loops, almost ready to get something from it.

Aleron sensed something was behind both him and Marcus, making him turn around. He scanned the area, trying to find out what it was that got his attention. Marcus noticed that his friend stopped, wondering what's wrong, "Yo Al, what's up?" he asked calmly. Aleron kept looking in the same direction, thinking that someone is there. "Al? Something wrong?" Marcus asked again, slightly concerned. Aleron turned away from his searching area and responded **"Na, I'm good. By the way, did you just get the strangest feeling that you were being watched?" **he asked after answering Marcus.

Marcus just raised an eyebrow to his question. He looked around to see what Aleron thought was out there. All that he saw was trees, trees, and more trees, along with the occasional squirrel. "I don't see whats got you spooked man. Nothing but trees and wild animals around." He reported. "Come on, sooner we get to Zack's house, the better." He walked off and Aleron followed shortly after. **"Yeah, the sooner we get there, the sooner I can get back to normal...hopefully." **whispering the final bit under his breath.

The figure stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself to be N, staring in the direction the duo went. Several thoughts were running through his head after the scene he witnessed between the two. The exhaustion, the laughing, the hunger, more laughter, and finally, this 'Zack' person they talked about. He was starting to have small doubts on his fathers motives, but he put those down. He waited for a few seconds to allow enough distance between him and the creature. After he felt there was enough distance between each other, he started walking after them.

It took another thirty minutes, but both Aleron and Marcus arrived at their destination. A small quiet suburb with varying types of houses. The sun was at it's afternoon position, meaning that one of the school buses would be coming around to drop students off. Marcus took some time to get the gauntlets-that he completely forgot about-off of his hands. Aleron was starting to have some second thoughts about meeting Zack at his house.

"**Hey Marcus?"** he asked. **"Are you sure about coming here? I mean, Zack'll recognize you, but will probably piss himself when he sees me..."** Aleron pointed out.

Marcus put one of his hands to his chin, into a thinking position. "Yeah, you're right. No doubt he will have a near-heart attack..." Marcus said. After a few seconds of thinking, he thought of something. It would be a long shot, but worth a try anyway. "Eh, we have to try anyway. When we get to his house, I will go in and tell him about your 'situation'. After I'm done, I'll call for you to come in, then pray he doesn't have a seizure." After going over their 'plan', they started making their way towards one of the houses near the end of a turn-around road, while Al stayed out of sight.

Marcus walked up to the one they were heading to, with Aleron hiding in the bushes (lame hiding spot, I know). The house was your average single-story brick home. He knocked on the door three times, then waited. Around ten seconds later, the door opened to reveal a late-teens male. He was wearing an Old Navy sponsored t-shirt that had mirroring patterns on both sides. His jeans would be like an ordinary pair, if it weren't for the holes in the shins and knee areas. He had a pair of reading glasses on his face, making his eyes appear larger than what they were.

"Watchu wa-Marcus? What are you doing here?" The teen asked.

"Zack, good to see ya." Marcus answered, slightly ignoring the question.

"Yeah, good to see you to man. Come on in, I wanna talk to you about something." Zack motioned him in.

**Alerons POV:**

Marcus just went inside, now to play the waiting game. I waited patiently for the time that Marcus would tell me to come in. Shortly after, one of the school buses that comes here is now dropping students off at their homes. I hugged the inside of the bushes to try and keep myself unnoticeable to others. I am just PRAYING that none of the students notice me hiding here. After a few uncomfortable minutes, I heard the front door open and someone stepping out. I knew it was time for me to come inside and started to come out, after making sure no-one was watching me.

**Third Person POV:**

Aleron climbed out of the bushes while Marcus was looking out for any peeping eyes. After Al climbed completely out, Marcus guided him to the front door, first telling Zack to brace himself for what he's going to see. After walking in (with Marcus blocking Zack's view of Aleron), he closed the front door and stepped out of the way.

Zack's eyes went as wide as dinner plates and jumped a full meter back, pointing a finger at Aleron. "WH-WH-WHAT THE F**K? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT S**T?" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Marcus tried to calm him down while Aleron took the saying a little hard. After a chaotic minute and a half of Zack freaking out, Marcus was finally able to calm him down enough to explain things to him. Aleron was just sitting down, watching the scene between both his friends.

"Okay, so let me get this straight; You're saying that you found Aleron on the floor, unconscious, with some kind of weird goo spreading on him?" Zack questioned.

Marcus nodded.

"And you tried everything, even going ape-s**t crazy on it, but that didn't do anything that got rid of that stuff."

Marcus nodded again.

"Then that stuff started molding him into what he is now."

Another nod.

"He's also been framed for assaulting Butch, and being in a supposed death-match fight against you."

Marcus nodded to this, as well as Aleron.

"And the only way that you thought to get out of there was to flip-kick him towards the nearby forest."

Both nodded again, with Aleron pointing to his side to prove it.

"So now, you guys think that I can help with this whole situation, despite us not knowing on what to do..."

Both of them shrugged.

Zack rubbed the temples of his head, trying to process all the info he was given in the last ten minutes. He was trying to think of what to do. He may be the smartest of all his friends, but this was, as some people say, biting off way more than he could chew. He looked at Aleron, who was looking out the window, staring at the scenery outside. Marcus was polishing his gauntlets for some reason. He then stood up to turn on the TV in the room. After it was turned on, he went back to sit down, but what came out of the set stopped him.

"This is Terra Cole, Channel 6 News, reporting live at Murfreesboro's Siegel High School, where a fight occurred earlier today. However, this was _not_ your typical high school fight, as witnesses claim to have seen a 'robotic insect' fighting one of the students."

This caught the attention of all three of the group in the room, all paying attention to the news report. The screen shows footage of Marcus' and Aleron's fight, probably recorded with a cellphone.

"This footage was recorded by one of the bystanders who witnessed such a brutal conflict. Investigators are confused on what the creature is. It has what appears to be a cannon on it's back which, fortunately, didn't fire during the fight. Witnesses claimed that the student who was fighting it, a Marcus Flint, was fighting the creature with metal gauntlets to protect students."

"Oh f**k..." Marcus whispered.

"Witnesses also claimed that the robot/insect hybrid was a friend of Marcus, prior to attacking him. These were the words yelled out"

"**How the hell...?" **Aleron started, but the news broadcast cut him off.

"**MARCUS, WHAT THE F**K? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"** Aleron's recording sounded. "Yeah, we _were _friends." sounded Marcus' recording. "I knew that as soon as that goo got to your head, it would not only change your appearance, but your mind as well"

Zack looked at Aleron and Marcus, who wore shocked expressions on their faces. He then turned back to the screen.

"Witnesses claim to have heard Marcus call the creature 'Aleron' prior to a school officer arriving on the scene."

Aleron's and Marcus' eyes grew wide at this. Not only were they known to the school, but now known on public news. To how many, they don't know yet.

"They both fought and it wound up in the schools courtyard, where it ended when Marcus threw 'Aleron' up and flip-kick-launched him into the surrounding forest. Students of the ROTC tried to find both of them, but found nothing. It was then thought they ran further into the forest, trying to escape custody. If anyone sees either of the two, call the pol-"

The T.V was cut off by Marcus, not wanting to hear anymore. All three of them just stood still, Al and Marcus shocked that they were on the news as criminals. Marcus was mouthing silently to himself. Zack was trying to process all of what he just seen and heard on the news. Aleron was looking down at the floor, holding his arms in front of him. If he was in his normal body, tears would be flowing down his face.

"**Dear god, how are we supposed to get out of this?" **he asked no-one in particular.

There was some knocking on the front door, alerting all three of them to who was at the door. Marcus told Aleron to hide while Zack was answering the door. After Al was hidden, Marcus nodded to Zack, who then opened the door. Standing there was a green-haired teen. His cap blocking the top half of his eyes.

"I believe I can help" the teen said.

**Wow, I just seem to be good at cliffhangers. Anyway, I need some help on the second chapter of The Master of the Land. I have writers block from hell on it, and I really need some help on getting rid of it. Also, I will have the titles of the stories I'm working on listed on my profile. Be sure to check to see what I'm working on.**

**Review, and remember: Flames will be used to roast marshmallows. =P**


	6. An Unexpected Ally and Enemy

**Right then, sixth chapter of A Being of Insect and Steel. Last chapter, I put up a message saying that there are references to other stories/series in this story. The one in the fifth chapter should be obvious to fans of a certain anime. Might I also say that the music links on my profile not only kick a**, but lift writers block a bit?**

**Review time!**

**Cyberfire22: yeah, I wouldn't have done so well if he were to freak out right off the bat.**

**Sahjil: That I will.**

**The Element Commander: Eh, spelling it that way seems a little cooler to me, but I'll correct myself. Thanks for the praise as well.**

**Alright alright, quit snapping that whip on me, I'm going.**

"Hello" means speech.

"**Hello**" means Aleron Speech.

_'Hello' _means thoughts.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any major company brands. I only own my story and my OC's.**

-0-

_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 6: An Unexpected Ally and Enemy**_

**Aleron's POV:**

Great, now that the news is out, everyone in the town, if not the whole country, are going to be hunting for me. And even better? The government probably caught on it as well...great...My life is officially in shambles. Not only have I been changed into some kind of insect...robot...whatever the hell I am, but now I have to stay in isolation for god knows how long. Zack is stumped on what to do, Marcus is wanted as well, and I pretty much have been labeled an alien to my own kind.

As of now...I am officially f**ked.

**Marcus' POV:**

"Hey, who are you?" I asked the teen that just shown up at the doorstep.

The teen at the door just lifted his cap a bit, showing his gray colored irises. Something clicked in my mind upon seeing his face. That tea-green hair, that cube on his pants, I've seen that before. After thinking for a second, I found what I was looking for.

"Hey, wait a second, aren't you-" I started to ask

"N? Yes, that is my name." N finished for me.

Okay, now the line between reality and fantasy just blurred for me. N, a character from the Pokemon series, is standing right before me and Zack. I have no idea as for why he's here, or why he exists for that matter. All that I can think of now is that he's up to something if he's here.

N just casually walks in like he owns the place. He then takes a seat on one of the living rooms chairs. Both me and Zack stare at him until he waves us over, wanting us to take a seat. We both look at each other, then hesitantly started walking into the living room, Zack sitting on the couch while I chose the seat opposite of N. We all sat in silence, me and Zack staring at N, N looking between both of us. After what felt like an hour which was only a minute, N broke the silence.

"Both of you are probably wondering on what I'm doing here." he said. "However, I require your friend to come out of hiding."

My eyes widened and I turned to look at Zack. How the hell does he-? Okay, this guy knows something about what's happening to us. First, he shows up without us knowing, and now, he claims to know what happened to Al.

"You needn't worry, I am well aware on his 'situation'."

_'Okay, he definitely knows something. I need to keep an eagle eye on him.' _I thought to myself. I got up, slowly, keeping an eye on N to make sure he doesn't get any funny ideas. Zack nodded his head to show he'll watch for me. I made my way down the hall and into the guest bedroom of the house. I reached up to the string in the ceiling at the corner of the room and pulled it down. The attics ladder slid down, the base of it stopping at my feet.

-0-

**Aleron's POV:**

I was bored, and decided to listen in on what the others were talking about. Something about me no doubt. I was able to find a mirror while I was up here, always wanting to see what I looked like. Purple, metallic, and I found out that the limb on my back is a cannon. I'm just glad that I don't know how to fire it yet, seeing on how I would end up blasting a hole through the walls here. I was just sitting next to a pile of evidently forgotten boxes when I heard the ladder to the attic come down.

"Yo, Al? You there?" I heard Marcus' voice call out.

"**Yeah, I'm here."** I responded. **"What do you want?"**

"Need you down here, someone has shown up claiming they know what happened to you."

My spirits shot up at that line. Someone here's to help me? Wait...Seeing on how I'm known as a monster to everyone, it could be someone trying to trick me.

"**Are you sure about that? It could be someone claiming that just to get to me."**

"Nah man, this seems to be the real deal here. He said he's well aware of your...form"

Seems that Marcus trusts that person enough, might as well trust who it is as well. Getting up from my sitting spot, I walked around the piles of objects on the floor, making my way to the ladder. Upon reaching it, I see Marcus poking his head in at the top of the ladder. He nodded and held one of his hands out to help me down. I put one of my claws in it and he held it in a tight grip. I tried to take a step on the ladder without making myself slip. After getting one foot down, I tried to take the second one, but as gravity would have it, I slipped. I would've fell face-first into the floor if it wasn't for Marcus grabbing me from under my arms and steadying himself as well while holding me up.

After that near-stumble, he put me back down on my feet, all the while both of us sweat-dropping and slightly chuckling as well. After straightening ourselves, we proceeded to the living room, going to meet whoever this is.

**Third Person POV:**

Aleron and Marcus both walked into the living room where Zack and N were waiting. Marcus sat back down on the seat across from N while Aleron decided to stand next to Marcus. After a few moments of silence, N cleared his throat, then spoke.

"Thank you, for bringing him here." he said casually.

Aleron shifted slightly upon being mentioned, but continued to listen.

"Now, Aleron," Aleron shifted again to his name being called out "you're probably wondering on what you are and how you became that, right?" N asked.

"**Yeah,"** Al responded, **"I am wondering on how to change back to my normal self."**

"Well then, allow me to shed some light on your situation. You have the appearance and abilities of a creation that I halted earlier in my life; Project Genesect. I wanted to see if a pokemon created through science would retain its purity, but upon seeing what was created, I shunned it. The project that was made to create what you are now was shut down and the building used abandoned. However, my father was somehow able to convince me to restart the program, but using a different method; using a serum to change an existing creature into another."

He glanced over at Aleron, who was shaking with rage. Marcus was just as angry, but was able to restrain both himself and Aleron, the latter by putting an arm in front of him. N then continued speaking.

"The first few tests were...unsuccessful...to say the least. We were able to keep this secret away from your country's government, for fear of them disrupting our progress. A few versions of the serum were created, tested, adjusted, and tested again to perfect it. It was then that we were able to create a portion of the serum that changed you into what you are now. We searched for a potential person, until we found you. After your 'change' though, doubts started to rise about this method. Changing others into different forms would have some form of toll on their lives; some would lose their sanity, others would not adjust to their new bodies after a few days, a few wouldn't be affected. You should be considered lucky that you didn't get the former."

Aleron was able to calm down a little from the last few lines, thanking himself that he didn't get the side-effects.

"However, it doesn't mean that you're safe from my father though. I think he's going to try and use you for his own gains. He will spare nothing in order to get what he wants, even if it means killing those you know to get to you."

Aleron fell deathly silent upon hearing this, and so did Marcus and Zack. They each exchanged worried glances. As they were doing so, N started to get up from his seat. All eyes were on him as he stood to his full height.

"But, in order to trick my father into thinking I'm doing as he told me, I have to let my friends battle you." 

Marcus raised an eyebrow to his 'friends' wondering on what he means by having them battle Al. N reached for the cube hanging on his pants and pressed a couple of center panels in. Said panels retracted into the cube, showing small compartments, along with a red and white capsule in each. Marcus' eyes grew wide at this.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" he questioned coldly, reaching for his gauntlets. _'This is about to get interesting...' _he thought to himself.

N rolled both capsules into each hand, pressed a button on said capsules, enlarging them and tossing them in the air. Both of them popped open, light flooding out of the capsules and hitting the ground, both taking shape. After the light died down, there stood a pair of creatures.

One of them was a form of a bipedal fox, grayish-brown fur on its body, with a thicker, darker bunch of fur around its neck and shoulders. The arms have a trio of claws at the end, same with the legs, with spikes of fur at the elbows. A long, mainly red mane flowed from the fox's head, with bits of black on some tips, and around a teal bead close to the end.

The second one was some form of squat ape, except that its arms were long enough for it to have the knuckles level with the ground. Its body is mainly red, with three tan ovals in the center, and tan fists and feet. A wide grin covers a majority of its face, with the eyes separated from it by a zigzag line of red. The eyebrows looked like flames, with the base part of them curled above the round, black-ringed eyes.

"Zoroark, Darmanitan..." N called to them, ready to fight.

Both of them didn't need a command on what to do; both of them launched themselves at Aleron. However, before they came close, a metal fist slammed into the Darmanitan, sending it flying towards the front door, smashing said door and out of it. Zoroark was able to lash out at Aleron, but he was able to block the attack with his arms. He was able to counter-attack with a swift kick, also sending it out the front door.

N ran out to help his Darmanitan and Zoroark, while Marcus and Aleron gave chase. As they both went outside, both of N's pokemon were up and ready to fight again. The sound of the door shattering has brought a few people out of their homes to investigate, only to find the fight that's developing. A crowd was building up quickly, though they kept their distance to try and stay out of the fight.

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**Sixth chapter fully done, thank god! The fight will come next chapter, and this one I will not skip. Remember to review, anonymous reviews and constructive criticism are welcome as well, but flames will be used to roast marshmallows.=)**


	7. N vs Aleron and Marcus

**WOO seventh chapter. I think I will focus on this story a bit, trying to finish it, but not rushing it. I have to say, listening to the subway boss remix defiantly helped with this chapter. The music pretty much motivated me to type this faster.**

**Review time!**

**Sahjil: And you will get what you want in this chapter.**

**Tanon: 1. If someone does flame, you will get some marshmallows. 2. Meh, sometimes the whole present/past tense thing slips past me. 3. Read Marcus' bio on my profile and I think you meant Aleron who received the kick.**

**I'm not gonna put anything special here...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any major company brands. I own only the story and my OC's.**

**Beta-Reader: NanoCarp**

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_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 7: N vs Aleron and Marcus**_

**Third Person POV:**

Everyone in the neighborhood was outside, but it wasn't for recreational purposes. Initially, a few people came out to investigate what was happening. Instead, they all get front row seats to a fight between two wanted felons, Marcus and Aleron, and some teen with monsters, N. Cell phones and cameras were recording the event, everyone wanted to see what happens. Both sides were ready to fight, each hoping for victory.

The view shifts to Aleron and Marcus, who were focused on the Zoroark and Darmamitan while discussing something.

"So, which one do you want to fight?" Marcus asked Aleron.

"**Hmm...Just to be a bit fair, I'll go with Zoroark."** Al answered. **"Seeing on how Darmanitan is fire, I would be hurting pretty quickly."**

"Gotcha, but I think that Zoroark will try to confuse you during the fight, seeing on how it can change its appearance at will."

"**Yeah, but at least you'll be on fair grounds of sorts with the Darmanitan."**

The view shifts back to the crowd as Marcus and Al finished planning. However, N was waiting for them to finish, just as he ordered his pokémon to attack.

"Zoroark, Darmanitan, capture Aleron. Father needs him alive." N ordered.

Both of his pokémon charged forward, intent on not only fighting, but also capture. Zoroark was charging up a shadow ball and Darmanitan brought both its fists up as it closed in. Aleron and Marcus jumped out of the way as the fists came crashing down right where they were, but when they landed, Al got blasted by a shadow ball, sent crashing into a nearby tree.

Marcus had a shocked look on his face, but snapped out of it and threw a punch at Darmanitan. However, it raised one of its hands and grabbed Marcus by the wrist. Marcus struggled to break free, but was whipped around and thrown in the same direction as his friend. Aleron was able to recover quickly enough to see Marcus coming at him. He dived out of the way, allowing Marcus to plant his feet on the tree, stopping himself and shaking a few leaves loose from the tree. Letting gravity take hold, he let himself fall, but holding one of his hands out to prevent himself from smacking his face into the ground.

They both had enough time to recover, only to dive to their sides, avoiding a stream of fire. The both looked at the spot, sweat-dropping at the sight of the tree incinerated by the flames.

"Damn man!" Marcus yelled.

They looked in the direction the flames came from, and had to dodge not only another stream of fire, but a shadow ball as well. Marcus was almost hit by the flames, while Aleron shielded himself from the shadow ball's impact explosion. It was then that Zoroark and Darmanitan decided to stop the ranged attacks and close in. Darmanitan's fists flared up, preparing a Fire Punch, while Zoroark's claws were shrouded with darkness, meaning a Shadow Claw.

Marcus sidestepped the Fire Punch. Aleron, however, wasn't so lucky. The claws raked across his chest, causing him to scream in pain. Adding insult to the injury, the Zoroark kicked him in the same place, increasing the pain and sending him flying. Aleron crashed into another tree, then landing face-first in the dirt. He was able to pull himself up, though uneasily.

_'Damnit, that hurt.'_ Aleron thought, wincing at the pain. _'If only I could actually fight back...'_

He had to cut his train of thought short to dodge another swipe from Zoroark.

Marcus was on even ground in terms of punches with Darmanitan. Punch after punch with kick after kick, he was trying to get a hit on it, but kept missing from it dodging the whole time. He was about to land a kick, but Darmanitan caught his foot. Marcus just smirked, despite the grip his foot was in.

"Gotcha…" he muttered.

He suddenly whipped back, doing a form of a back flip. Swinging his foot up, along with the unfortunate Darmanitan, he planted his hands on the ground, then brought his leg down hard, slamming his foe into the dirt. His foot was still being held on to, so he whipped his leg around and, with enough force, was able to free his foot while sending Darmanitan flying towards a house.

However, it was able to recover and plant its feet on the side of said house, stopping itself. It let itself fall to the ground, not even bothering to let it recover. Its fists, however, were raised above it. When it was around five feet from the ground, Darmanitan brought its fists crashing down to the ground. Instead of doing a small crater where they hit, the ground started shaking, shattering glasses in homes, cars, and fracturing the earth.

Everyone who was watching was stumbling to keep their balance, while Aleron and Marcus fell from the tremors. The ground beneath Marcus fractured, and a piece shot him like a catapult towards Darmanitan. It pulled back one of its fists, clenched it, then thrust it forward, nailing Marcus in the stomach. All the wind was knocked out and he was sent flying towards Aleron.

Aleron was getting up from the earthquake, only to have Marcus come careening into him, sending him on his back again.

_'Son of a…'_ he swore in his mind.

Marcus was able to lift himself, though he taking deep breaths, trying to get some air in his system after the punch. Al was getting up as well, his eye-sight spinning a little. He shook his head, steadying his sight. They both stood to their feet, trying to recover from the collision and fall. Marcus was able to recover first, having all the air needed. No sooner than he did, he jumped to his right, just dodging a shadow ball. Unfortunately, it hit Aleron square in the face, sending him flying onto his back yet again.

_'Damn it, this is getting annoying!' _he said with irritation in his head.

He thought of the ways he could be able to tip the scales in his favor, but had to cut it short, for Zoroark was rocketing towards him, readying another Shadow Claw. He was wanting to leap out of the way, but his body wouldn't move. Time seemed to slow as his foe neared. Aleron was trying to get his body to cooperate, but he wouldn't move. He was about to brace himself for the hit until he felt some kind of energy traveling up his cannon limb. He then felt all the energy focusing at one spot; the opening of the cannon, in which it started to glow white from the energy. It continued to build until he felt that he couldn't hold it in anymore. He imagined pushing all that energy out, and it took shape in the form of a beam shooting out of the cannon.

This caught not only Aleron off guard, but N and Marcus as well. The beam was rocketing towards Zoroark. It canceled its attack and tried to defend itself with Protect, but wasn't able to ready itself in time. The beam hit it dead-on and was able to carry it over a dozen yards until it dispelled. Zoroark landed roughly on the ground, face-down. It tried to get back up, but collapsed completely, knocked out.

N was shocked that Zoroark was KO'ed, but even more that Al was able to use his cannon as well. He wanted to return Darmanitan after that, but knew that it was a fluke that he was able to use it. He then turned to where his Darmanitan was, which was back into a fist-fight with Marcus.

"Darmanitan." He called out loudly. "Ignore him and go after Aleron. We need to hurry before the authorities arrive!"

Obeying his master, Darmanitan shoved Marcus away from him, then bolted towards Aleron, with his fists brought up that flared up afterwards. Al wasn't able to move from his spot, especially after his cannon shot. Marcus knew what was going to happen, but he ran as fast as he could to try and stop his friend from getting pounded into the dirt.

"DON'T! YOU! DARE!" he yelled fiercely.

He ran with all his might, quickly closing the distance When he was within grabbing distance, he reached with his hands, grabbing the flame fists. Ignoring the pain from the fire, he turned his body around, held his left leg up, arced his body, then whipped his hands, along with the Darmanitan, over his head. He slammed it into the ground with enough force for a dust cloud to form from the impact. After the cloud cleared, it shown Marcus standing over Darmanitan, with the latter knocked out. He was hunched over, breathing heavy and holding his hands out, which were now red from the burns. Aleron was a little shocked that his friend was able to show such strength.

"**Damn dude…**" he called out "**I think that was a little overkill.**"

Marcus looked at his downed foe with a serious face. He then turned to his friend, still holding the look. He slowly walked towards him, limping a little from his wounds. He sat down next to him, right hand used to support him. His gaze turned to Aleron, held it for a few seconds, then broke out into a fit of laughter. Al followed as well, although not as much due to his exhaustion. After a few seconds, they stopped themselves just as N was walking up to them.

"Well, that was an interesting battle." he said calmly. "I was a little surprised that you," he pointed to Aleron "were able to use your cannon. And I was also surprised on your friends strength as well."

Marcus did a weak smile but cringed, his stomach still hurting from the punch he received.

"Listen," N said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small bottle, along with a blue berry. "eat this berry Marcus. It will replenish your strength. Aleron, the juice in this bottle is the same as the berry."

"**But how am I going to drink it?**" Al questioned. "**For one, I no longer have human hands…or a mouth.**"

"Just because you think you don't have a mouth doesn't mean you don't have one." N hands the bottle to Marcus, who had an arced eyebrow. "Just lift it to where his 'filter' is and let the fluid wash down it."

Shrugging, Marcus took both items from N. He took a small bite from the berry, letting some of its juices flow in his mouth. His eyes suddenly shot wide, feeling full of energy from the bite.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Dude! I feel like I'm ready for anything now."

Aleron raised a non-existent eyebrow to this. "**Hey, if the juice is like that, lets see if I can drink some.**" he said.

Marcus unscrewed the cap to the bottle, holding the cap as well. He held the top of it to the filter, then tipped some of the fluid out. Surprisingly, none of the liquid didn't spill down Alerons face, instead going past the filter. Alerons face lit up from the flavor and sudden burst of energy as the liquid entered his body.

"**Wow! You weren't kidding!**" he said.

Marcus was about to respond until the sound of sirens started to echo in the area. All three of them turned their heads towards the direction they were coming from.

"**Aw hell,**" Aleron said, dreading what was coming. "**the cops are coming.**"

N was able to recall both his pokemon before turning his back towards the duo. "We will meet again." he said in a calm tone. "During which, I will try and find out fathers true intentions. Oh, and before I go…" He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a red, square-shaped disk. He handed the disk to Marcus, who had a questioning look on his face.

"Insert that into the slot behind Alerons cannon," he shifts his gaze to Aleron, "then fire it when you're able to control it." he finished with a small smile. He then darts towards the forest, vanishing from sight when in far enough. Around this time, Police cars were turning down the road the battle took place on. Aleron and Marcus both exchanged glances, then bolted into the forest themselves, both not wanting to be caught.

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**Whew, this took a while, but it is done. I hope I did a good job on this, seeing on how I had difficulty on some parts. Hope you enjoyed it and please review as well.**


	8. Family Matters

**Chapter eight of A Being of Insect and Steel. I hope the fight scene last chapter was good for you guys.**

**Review time!**

**Anonymous reviewer; SoNoEcho: An event pokemon is only obtainable via a special event in certain locations (ie, Arceus at Pokemon sponsored locations, Liberty ticket for Victini via wi-fi, etc).**

**Cyberfire22: 1. Glad you liked it. 2. Gotta remember; Marcus isn't your ordinary human.**

**Tanon: 1. No comment on the critique. 2. Glad you liked it, and hopefully I can be able to get to a point I can explain it. 3. Think about how much damage Zoroark was able to deal to Aleron, despite the type differences.**

**Sahjil: Thank you. That is all.**

**Lets go!**

**Beta-Reader: NanoCarp**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any major company brands. I own only the story and OC's.**

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_**A Being of Insect and Steel**_

_**Chapter 8: Family Matters**_

Third Person POV:

Aleron and Marcus ran through the forest with all their might, trying to keep plenty of distance from the cops. Despite the recent fight they were in, they were at full strength due to a berry and juice they ingested. Marcus was doing parkour over downed trees and rocks, while Aleron was just jumping over them to keep up. After half an hour of running, they both slowed themselves to save their energy. Even though they had plenty from the berry, they knew it wouldn't last forever.

After walking for an additional twenty minutes, they stopped to rest. Marcus propped himself against a tree while Aleron sat on the ground. The adrenaline that fueled them the entire time running was wearing off, making them take deep breaths to help their lungs, despite the energy from the berry.

"Yo Al…" Marcus called out.

"**Yeah?**"

"That…was a lot…of fun huh?" Marcus asked between breaths.

"**No kidding…**"

They both dropped to the ground, trying to catch the rest of their breath. Aleron tried to lay back, but his cannon limb prevented him from going all the way. He didn't mind though, since he felt oddly comfortable. Despite the odd comfort, there was something bothering him. It took a little poking around in his head until he found it, and nearly had his heart stop.

"**Marcus…**" He asked with a bit of dread.

"Yeah? Something wrong?"

"**I just realized something; what about our families?**"

Marcus' jaw dropped upon being asked, then clenched his eyes shut like he been blinded.

"Naw…F**K!" he bellowed.

Marcus jumped up from his sitting position and started pacing around, holding his head, muttering things under his breath as well. He was able to speak a little louder after a minute of rambling.

"S**t, s**t! What the hell _are_ we going to tell our families? We're fugitives from not only the law, but possibly the military as well!" He stated, panic growing more by the second. "Not only that, but N's father is after us as well! I mean, WHAT are we going to do?"

Marcus continued rambling as Aleron had heard enough. He picked himself up and walked towards him. He didn't say a word as he hooked his arm over Marcus' shoulder and whipped him around. After doing so, he smacked Marcus – or tried doing so without cutting him – across the face. Marcus had a look of pure shock on his face, caught completely off-guard by the sudden blow.

"**Marcus, get a hold of yourself!**" Aleron barked out. "**Panicking isn't going to help our problems. If we end up doing so, we're just screwing ourselves over. As far as I can tell, we need to trust N into finding a way to change me back. Not only that, but we also need to find a way to clear our names. So get your head straight and focus!**"

Marcus was left speechless after the sudden speech. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, recollecting himself.

"Thanks Al. I needed that." Marcus said calmly, rubbing his cheek which now had a claw-shaped mark.

"**Heh, no problem.**"Aleron replied.

Both of them sat back down on the ground, trying to think of their next move. Marcus was wondering on what would happen next time they encountered N. He was hoping to get several more answers, such as his fathers true intentions once he got Al.

Aleron was thinking on what to tell both his and Marcus' families. He lay back, setting himself back into his position prior to Marcus' breakdown. He tried to think clearly on what to do, but his mind started to wander, his gaze shifting to the scenery around him. He looked to his right and noticed that they stopped at the edge of a small clearing. He got up from his spot and walked towards it, wanting to see whats on the other side. Marcus saw his friend moving and got up from his position to follow, confused on what Aleron was doing.

"Hey, Al. Where ya going?" Marcus asked.

Aleron continued to walk towards the field, ignoring the question. He continued moving in the direction he wanted, until he broke through the line of trees. There was a small field, but what was in the distance had his attention. Houses of a small suburb, all of which were very familiar to him. It was only until Marcus caught up to him is when he snapped out of his trance.

"**Marcus, ****if you had to guess on which compass direction we ran, what would it be?**" he asked, not turning his gaze from the buildings.

"Huh?" Marcus asked confused. "Well….…if I had to guess, probably north-northeast. Why?"

"**Well…I think we ran all the way to where I live.**" Aleron answered, pointing in the direction of the houses.

Marcus looked out towards the suburb, at the house his friend was pointing at. He recognized immediately as Aleron's house, seeing as the house is part of the daily bus route.

"Wow…we ran quite the distance huh?" Marcus asked.

"**Yeah, but that's kinda not what has my attention.**" He pointed at some vehicles parked in the houses driveway. "**Turns out that my parents are home, and no doubt that they're worried about me as well.**"

Marcus swallowed hard, knowing what was going to happen.

"So, you're going to tell them?"

"**Yeah, but I think it's best to wait until nightfall. That way it'll be easier to get there without being spotted.**"

"Well," Marcus started, looking at the sky "We don't have to wait long. Probably an hour or so before the sun sets."

True to his word, the sun was just about to set over the horizon, giving the sky an orange hue. Walking back through the trees, they both waited until it was dark enough to proceed. Even though the sun was down, they waited an extra half-hour to be safe. During the wait, they seen Aleron's parents taking their three dogs outside several times. Even though he was going to be seeing them again, Aleron wasn't sure on meeting them after all that has taken place. He was afraid that they wouldn't believe him and try to either capture or kill him, thinking he was a monster. It didn't help that he was a fugitive, both in name and being as well.

"Yo, Al." Marcus called out, snapped Aleron back to reality. "You started to drift there for a second."

Aleron didn't respond as he stood back up, feeling very uneasy on the inside.

"Something bothering you?" Marcus asked.

"…"

"Al?"

"**Sorry…but I just…I'm not even sure if I can face my family looking like this…**" Aleron stated worried, his head shifting downward.

Marcus rested a hand on his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

"Listen…I'll go first and try to get them ready, so that they won't freak out as much. You wait outside until I give the okay to show yourself."

Feeling slightly reassured, Aleron took in and let out a long breath.

"**Right…lets get going.**" he said, although still a little uneasy.

They both headed back towards the field, heading for Aleron's house. Even though it was pitch black, their eyes adjusted enough to see. Aleron noticed, however, that he was able to see like as though it was day of sorts. He doubted that it would be as clear for Marcus.

_'Huh, guess there are a few 'good' perks about this body…'_ he stated inwardly.

They ran across the field, though trying to be quiet as well, towards the house. When they got to the pool of the backyard, they had to be cautious of any cars coming down the street, for the headlights would reflect off Aleron's skin. They decided to come from the left side of the house, beside the air-conditioning unit, mainly for the bushes close by to hide in. Taking his position, Aleron let Marcus go and ready his family for the inevitable. He heard him walking up the steps and ring the doorbell, followed shortly with the dogs barking.

Aleron's POV:

"Hello?" I heard my mom answer. "Wait, aren't you Marcus?"

"Yeah…" Marcus started.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Ms. Bane…"

"Don't you realize that you are wanted by the police?"

"I know but…"

_'Oh boy, this isn't going well…'_ I slightly panicked.

"Not only that, but my SON IS MISSING AND–"

"MS. BANE, LISTEN TO ME!" I heard Marcus bellow.

That must have done something. He was able to stop her before she would start berating him any further.

"I'm sorry, but listen…I know where he is, but I need to come inside and talk to the rest of your family. Is that okay?"

There was silence that my mom was probably debating to either let him in or slam the door in his face and call the cops. She must have chosen the former, because I heard Marcus thank her before the door closed. Now I have to play the waiting game again, the uneasiness returning.

"…you hear what the humans are going nuts about lately?" I heard someone ask.

"Yeah, they goin' loco about this metal bug. What was its name, Aleron?"

I looked up to the tree next to me and saw a couple of birds. What was weird is that I swear that I heard them talking.

"Yeah, that's its name. They're saying that it used to be human."

"Wait, it _used_ to be human?"

"Yeah, other humans are saying that one with…uh…long, tea-green hair did something to him."

Okay, my ears must be playing tricks on me. I am hearing birds, _birds_! Talking right above me.

"Yeah, and everyone pretty much heard about what happened in one of their living areas."

"Oh-ho yeah, I heard about that. Said some ape thing was breathing _fire!_ Even its fists were on fire. There was even some walking fox there throwing black spheres around as well."

"Uh-huh, but I heard that Aleron bloke, along with another human named Marcus, I think, owned both of them, with the human slamming the ape into the ground like that Superman the little humans love."

Yeah, my ears must be screwing with me now. Deciding to test if they're okay or not, I decided to try and talk to them.

"**Um…hello**?" I asked, not expecting them to react.

They both turned to look at me. The one on the left did something like a higher pitched chirp and its wings unfurled, but it didn't take off.

"Dude, it's him!" it said shocked, folding its wings back.

"No way! It's that Aleron dude!" the other stated as well.

"Should we bolt? He might be like the humans with those boomsticks."

"Na, I doubt he has one. And I also doubt he can understand us."

"**Um, I heard everything you were both saying.**" I shyly said.

This time, both chirped and unfurled their wings, shock evident on both of them.

"You…You can…understand us?" the one on the right asked.

"**I guess…**"

Before both of them could 'talk' some more, I heard the front door open. Both birds heard as well and took off, flying off into the night sky.

"Al…" I heard Marcus quietly call for me.

I only had to poke my head out and he spotted me. Motioning me over, I stepped out of my hiding spot.

"**So…are they…**?" I asked, unable to finish.

"Yeah, they're waiting in the kitchen. I told them everything and they should be ready." He answered, finishing my question.

"**Okay…**" I replied.

Dread was coming back, stronger than before along with uneasiness as well. I was having second thoughts about this, but it was too late to turn back when we stepped through the front door. Marcus shut the door, and walked ahead of me.

"**Marcus…**" I barely whispered. "**I…I-I can't…**"

He must have heard me for he turned his head to look at me.

"Huh? Can't what?" he questioned.

"**I can't…I can't let my family see me like this.**" I explained quietly, starting to feel torn up on the inside. "**I mean, they might believe you, but what about me? They probably wouldn't even think that it's me, especially since I look like this.**"

"Marcus," I heard mom demand. "Is my son with you or not?"

"Yes ma'am, but let me ask you one last time; are all of you ready for what you're about to see?" he asked, trying to confirm one last time.

A series of 'yeses' told him that they truly wanted to see me again. I noticed that even my older brother, Lucas, and Rachel were there as well. Even though they were worried sick about me, I wasn't sure they would trust Marcus after seeing me.

However, I could tell that their impatience has hit its peak, for there was the sound of a couple of chairs scraping across hardwood floor. Panic started hitting me like a charging rhino, I was wanting to run before they saw me.

"Marcus!" I heard my step dad yell. "DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE–?" he abruptly cut off.

"**Oh no…**" I barely cried out.

They saw me, and there was no doubt that things were going to spiral out of control, fast.

Evidently, they lied on being prepared, desperate on seeing me, because mom screamed upon seeing my new form. My step-dad, Jason, ordered her to take Rachel, Lucas and the dogs and hide somewhere in the back yard while he yanked open a closet door, pulling out a metal baseball bat. He was pissed on being supposedly lied to about me, tightening his grip on the bat.

"MARCUS, GET THE F**K OUT OF THE WAY NOW!" he demanded, fury evident in his voice.

"Mr Bane, wait! You got it all wrong!" Marcus tried to reason, but it was evident that it wasn't working. He was shoved out of the way and Jason swung the bat like a pro at me. I didn't dodge, resigning to my fate as the bat connected. It made a sharp clang upon contact and sent me flying a few feet into the sitting room, landing on my side. It would've snapped the neck of a regular human, but I'm guessing my body prevented that, though it hurt like hell.

"Wait, stop! That _is_ him!" Marcus desperately yelled, trying to prevent my step-dad from murdering me.

"Liar! Our son isn't a _monster_!" he hissed, pointing the bat at me.

That one word, monster, was the one that hurt the most. My family thinks that I truly am lost, even though their 'lost' son is on the floor. I didn't do anything when Marcus was shoved away again. I didn't do anything as Jason marched towards me. I didn't do anything as the bat was raised over his head. I knew on how strong the downward blow would be, and even my steel skin wouldn't help.

"**Go ahead…**" I simply said, accepting my fate, closing my eyes. "**Do it. You'll be doing me a favor…**"

Third Person POV:

Those words came out of Aleron's mouth, loud enough for both Marcus and Jason to hear. Marcus didn't hear them, for he was too focused on the crazed father about to kill his friend. Jason, however, heard him, but didn't register it at first due to his anger. When he ran through the voice a few times in his head, he stopped dead in his tracks, the bat held over his head. His eyes were wide, shocked upon realizing that he was attacking a member of his own family. Part of him was doubting it was his son, but he needed to confirm it.

"A-A-Aleron…?" he stuttered, the bat slipping from his shaking hands.

Opening his eyes, Aleron looked up into the eyes of his step-father.

"**Jason…**"

His name being said alone wasn't exactly able to do it, but the voice was able to completely convince him. The bat slipped from his hands, landing with a harsh thud on the carpet. He took a step back in shock, now fully convinced that he almost killed his son.

"A…Aleron…" he barely said, shock now fully overcoming him.

Marcus came over and placed a hand on Jason's shoulder, causing him to glance back, no longer angry at him.

"That is him…" he started. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Jason shifted his gaze back to Aleron, who was getting back up, swaying from disorientation due to the blow from the bat.

"**Oww…**" he complained, bringing a claw to the impact spot. "**First, a kick from Marcus, then a bat to the face…**"

"…" Jason remained silent, still trying to overcome the shock.

He got up, pushing Marcus' hand off his shoulder after a bit and walked past Aleron. Both of them watched him, wondering on what he was going to do. He was clutching his head, still trying to believe on what he almost did. Many things were running through his head, such as on what who to trust and what to believe. After reaching the back door, he made the choice to bring the others back.

Back with Aleron and Marcus, the former 'rubbing' the spot where he got hit, they heard the back door open then close, signaling that Jason went outside.

"**And there he goes…**" Aleron muttered, turning his gaze to Marcus. "**Marcus, can we leave? I do **_**not**_** feel comfortable being here.**"

"…" Marcus didn't say anything, still concerned on what the step-father was going to do. After a few seconds, he stood up from his spot.

"Yeah, I think we should." Marcus responded, walking to the front door. When he grabbed it though, they both heard the back door open again, followed by the sound of Aleron's mother questioning Jason.

"…-ould call the police. We are housing a wanted felon, and who knows where that monster is?" she harshly said.

"Terra, listen, that 'monster' _is_ Aleron. Marcus was able to convince me that-" he said, but was cut off.

"THAT MONSTER IS NOT OUR SON! I AM CALLING THE COPS AND HAVING THEM COME AND ARREST MARCUS RIGHT NOW!" she screeched.

There was the sound of stomping in the kitchen, followed by yelling and a minor scuffle. Marcus decided to come in before it ends up getting violent. He walked past the doorway into the living room and stood at the doorway to the kitchen. Jason was in there, trying to restrain a female in her late thirties, who he called Terra, from grabbing a nearby phone. Aleron's siblings, Rachel and Lucas, stood by the door, not wanting to be involved, holding the three dogs. The black one turned its head and saw Marcus, then started barking, getting everyone's attention.

Upon seeing Marcus, the struggling duo stopped.

"YOU!" Terra hissed, venom clear in her voice.

She broke free from Jason's grip and marched over to Marcus, fury evident in her movement. He didn't do anything when he was grabbed by the shirt collar and brought close to her face.

"Tell me where my son is now!" she ordered, anger and desperation in her tone.

"I will…if you let me go please." Marcus calmly said.

Terra let go of his shirt, in which he stepped back a little. He let a short breath out, then turned his head to where Aleron was.

"Hey Al." he started. Terra's eyes widened a bit upon the mention of the nickname. "Can you come in here?"

Aleron's POV:

Sigh…just heard Marcus call for me after talking to my mom. Part of me was screaming to not show myself, but the rest was making me get up and walk. I got up and started making my way towards Marcus, going through the living room. That was the point of no return since mom was standing right in front of him. She turned to look at me and gasped, clearly afraid on what I looked like. She looked like she was ready to scream again, but couldn't due to shock of seeing me again. We both just stood in our spots, staring at each other. Even Rachel and Lucas peeked past her and saw me, pretty much not doing anything since they were doing the same as mom.

"Honey." Jason said, putting a hand on mom's shoulder. "That…is him."

I decided to prove it to her. "**Hey mom…**" I simply said.

Despite the slight robotic ring to my voice, she was able confirm that it really was me she was afraid of.

"Al…Aleron…?" she stammered, tears starting to well up. "I-is that really…you?"

"**Yes…**"

She started fully crying upon hearing my voice again. She was able to get over her fear almost instantly and ran to me, dropping to her knees and pulling me into a tight hug. I was slightly caught off guard by this, but I returned the gesture, wrapping my arms around her as well. Lucas and Rachel must have believed as well, for I felt them join in the group hug.

-0-

**Seems like Aleron was almost killed, but was able to convince his family that he was okay. It may have been a bit emotional close to the end, but I was trying to fit it to the family's reaction and mood to Aleron's change.**

**Also, I would like to thank you all for getting this story over two and a half thousand total hits.**

**Be sure to review, and if you flame, I get some roasted marshmallows! =P**


	9. Nightmare or Reality

**Chapter nine of A Being of Insect and Steel. The last chapter may have felt like a filler of sorts to some readers, but it wasn't.**

**Review time!**

**Tanon: Well, that chapter was a pain to write, but it wasn't a filler or anything similar. The plot though, I'm getting to it.**

**It's time to ki– wait, not going there.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any major company brands. I own only the story and the OC's.**

-0-

_A Being of Insect and Steel_

_Chapter 9: Nightmare or Reality_

Aleron's POV:

I was walking down the halls of the school, heading for my fifth period class. Marcus would be in the last class of the day, so I was kinda happy for it. Other students were tending to their own business, opening lockers to idly chatting. I was about to pass a staff elevator until the voice from earlier this morning came back, screaming at my mind. Caught off guard, I clutched my head, squeezing my eyes shut. I stumbled around, running into a set of locker, getting a good number of people looking.

I collapsed to my knees in the middle of the hall, let out a single, agonized scream, then blacked out…

…except I didn't.

I don't know how, but I was standing outside my body, watching everyone group around my downed self. The crowd built up until a voice of authority boomed out.

"Move! SRO in the area!"

I, along with everyone else, turned around to see a couple of school officers approaching. I tried to move out the way in time, but they phased right past me while everyone else moved. They both neared my body while one of them was ready to call for a code blue. Before he could though, another, yet familiar, voice called out.

"STOP! DO NOT TOUCH HIM!"

Repeating like last time, everyone turned around, only this time it was N and two others standing at the end of the hall. They came forward and easily made their way through the crowd, approaching my body as well. The SRO's backed off from N's guards as said person crouched and examined me. It wasn't a minute later until there was something else happening. Several people were being shoved out of the way as a familiar jock pushed his way through.

As the jock pushed through, which I remember as Butch, he glared at N, an all-too-familiar look to me.

"Hey! Green head!" he bellowed.

N and the guards slightly jolted at the yell and whipped around.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you are handling _my_ property!"

Seriously? When did he…never mind.

"Either back off or I'm going to have some new punching bags!" Butch threatened, cracking his knuckles as well to show he was serious.

Both of N's guards took defensive stances and I swore I saw one of them reaching for something on his belt. N, however, just held his hand up a bit and they relaxed, although they had questioning looks on their faces. He then started walking up to the giant, without a hint of worry on his face.

"N, are you crazy?" I yelled. He just continued like he didn't hear me, nor did anyone turn to face me.

I bolted through the crowd, pretty much ignoring the parts of me phasing through and tried to grab N. My hand ended up passing through him, like I was just a ghost. I stumbled a bit, recovering just before one of the SRO's. I turned around to see N standing right in front of Butch, who was tense and looking to throw a punch. I started sweating, thinking that N was going to get his face caved in until I saw him mutter something then turn and walked away. I know Butch, and he wouldn't let that slide.

"Hey, where are you going? Come back here and fight like a real man!" he yelled.

N stopped before he could reach my body. He let out a sigh and reached for his cube. Before he could grab it though, everything flickered and flashed. I shielded my eyes for a few seconds then lowered my hands. I gasped at what I was seeing.

N had a Klinklang out, but that wasn't what was bad. Butch was at the other side of the hall, blood on the wall and him slumped against it. I thought he was dead, but noticed his chest slowly moving, showing he was still alive, but out cold. The halls were empty as well, meaning N scared everyone away with his pokémon.

Turning my attention back to my body, I was just able to see N drop a vial of purple fluid next to me. The vial shattered, but the fluid didn't splatter. It deformed, but it came back together and inched towards my body. It was then that N and his guards left, leaving my body to that slime stuff that started creeping onto me.

It was then that it hit me, I was watching what had happened while I was out, even the transformation. The world flickered again and I shielded my eyes from the flash. When it happened, I saw Marcus clawing at my body, trying to get rid of the slime covering it. I thought he was winning, but the slime continued unhindered. Marcus stopped when it reached my head, getting up and standing back, watching in fear.

When it was done, the slime started constricting. I started wincing as the bones snapped but stopped when I felt the same kind on my body. I looked down and felt as though my heart skipped a beat. My body, even though I'm out of my real body, was deforming, turning into what the slime is making me. I watched, horror-struck as my legs took shape of the slimes work, turning purple and hardening into metal. My arms were next as they thinned and the fingers fused into a single, sharp claw. I cried out as I felt my torso changed shape, along with my shoulders and head. I even felt the cannon limb grow from my back as well.

As the changes finished, the slime on my physical body hardened, developing a shine as it became metal. Instead of my human body, the body of a Genesect was on the floor. Shortly after, I felt something pulling at me and I blacked out, but only for a few seconds.

I woke up again, this time I was level with the floor. I slowly picked myself up, swaying a little and put a claw to my head. I opened my eyes and seen Marcus standing a few feet away, his face full of fear.

"S-stay away from me!" he yelled, taking another step back.

Wait, he just watched me change, right before his eyes.

"**Marcus, it's me.**" I said, taking a small step forward.

"No! You're not Aleron!" he cried out, taking another step back. "My friend isn't a monster!" He turned right around and bolted down the hall.

Something isn't right…

I watched him turn the corner, my friend running in fear from me. I was about to take off after him until I heard the sound of a gun click. My eyes widened as I whipped around to find the source. Standing just a few yards away with their pistols ready were the duo of SRO's, aiming right at me.

"Don't you dare move a muscle!" one of them ordered.

This has to be a nightmare…

Instead of listening, I turned and ran down the hall. I couldn't get three steps in before they started firing at me. However, at the sound of the first shot, the world flickered and flashed again. This time though, I found myself in the courtyard, clouds blocking out the sun. I stood there, trying to find out how I got here until something hit me hard from behind. I was sent flying a dozen feet, landing face first in the dirt. I moaned and got back up, turning around to see who it was that hit me.

My blood ran cold upon seeing that it was Marcus, gauntlets on, trembling with rage.

I took a step back, not believing that it was my friend that attacked me. That step was all he needed for him to charge right at me, fist pulled back. He was less than a yard away when he threw the punch, rocketing straight at me. I ducked to the side, just barely dodging the blow as it took a chunk out of a decorative pillar.

"**Marcus, why are you doing this?**" I asked after recovering, still taking steps back from my crazed friend.

"I'm doing this to save people!" he answered, charging again.

I couldn't dodge him in time as he landed a punch square in the center of my face, sending me flying into another pillar, shattering the bricks and collapsing it.

"…_Al…"_

Even though I had steel for skin, I was in so much pain. The weight of the bricks were pushing down on me, threatening to crush me.

"_Al…!"_

A clump of the bricks were shoved aside, revealing Marcus as he stared down at me.

"_Come on, wake up!"_

I decided to try one last time to convince him not to kill me.

"**Marcus…**" I started weakly "**I thought…we were friends…**"

He just reared a fist back, readying the killing blow.

"…You're no longer my friend…" he coldly said, thrusting the fist forward.

"_ALERON!"_

"**GAH!**"

I jolted with a start, breathing heavy as I collected myself. I was staring right at a concerned Marcus who seemed to have jumped back and landed on the floor when I cried out. I steadied my breathing and took in my surroundings; I was in my bedroom, the ceiling fan rotating lazily above. Almost everything was in it's place, minus my DS due to obvious reasons.

"Dude, what happened?" Marcus asked, getting up from the floor. "I was pretty much close to waking up myself, but then I heard you yelling and stuff. Can you tell me what was bothering you?"

I calmed myself even further and sat up on my bed, then started telling him every detail about the nightmare. From my out-of-body witnessing of my transformation to his intent to kill attack, he listened intently, becoming a little scared on the last stretch. When I finished, I hung my head low, not believing that such a nightmare came.

"Al." Marcus started, putting a hand on my shoulder. "No matter on what you think, we're still friends. Through thick and thin, we always will be."

I looked back up, staring into his eyes. A few seconds later, I closed mine and took a deep breath, finally calming my nerves down.

"**Thanks man…**" I said, trailing off a bit.

"Anytime Al, anytime." Marcus replied.

I was about to get up, but noticed someone behind Marcus. I leaned a bit to the side and saw my family all standing at the door. Marcus noticed me looking past and turned around, seeing them as well.

"**Uh, how long were you guys there?**" I asked, slightly embarrassed.

"The whole time man." Lucas answered with a small grin.

"We heard everything that was said Al." Rachel commented.

I was about to say something else until there was a knock on the front door, making the dogs go nuts barking.

"MCPD, open up!" a gruff voice called out.

_'Cops. You've gotta be kidding me!'_ I bitterly thought.

-0-

**The nightmare was pretty much a 'what-if' scenario. It was to say what would have happened if Marcus feared Aleron for what he became instead of trying to help him.**

**Leave a review, and if you flame, I get some roasted marshmallows.**


	10. Escape Into Another Encounter

**Chapter 10 of A Being of Insect and Steel. The nightmare last chapter should have answered some 'what-if' questions that were going to be asked. Those who don't know what MCPD stands for, it shall be explained mid-chapter.**

**Review time!**

**Anonymous reviewer; SoNoEcho: Sorry, but the Liberty Ticket Victini event ended a month after B/W came out, ending on April 10, and you can't trade for it either. And for best trading results, either make sure your pokemon is either a shiny and/or level 100. That, or have a high-level pokémon that is in high demand (ie: Hydregion, Electrivire etc).**

**Tanon: Thanks. It's MCPD and it will be explained in the chapter.**

**Anonymous reviewer; MagmaMan1: Right…I think I should fix that…**

**Anonymous reviewer; Dadude: Woohoo! I finally get roasted marshmallows! Thanks!**

**Let's go!**

**Beta-Reader: NanoCarp**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any major company brands. I own only the story and the OC's.**

-0-

_A Being of Insect and Steel_

_Chapter 10: Escape into another encounter_

Aleron's POV:

Crap! Of all the things to start the day off, it had to be cops coming to my house. It doesn't help that I'm a fugitive of the law as well as Marcus, and that I'm a different species. Not only that, but N's father would be after me and he would kill anyone in his way.

Mom was able to silently tell us to run, and we did, trying to find a way out without going near the front door. It was pretty much an easy one, since there was a window in every room, minus the bathrooms for obvious reasons. Everyone minus Rachel and Marcus headed downstairs to meet with the cops and try to delay them while me and Marcus try and escape.

Going through my sis's room would be too risky, since the cops would see us almost immediately. Lucas' would be a good choice, but we would be seen as well. My room's out since it would mean falling right behind the cops. That leaves only my parents room, since it's on the other side of the house. The three of us made our way into said room and opened the door. The window ahead of us is out since we would be falling either on concrete or on one of the cars. That just leaves the window furthest from the door.

We make our way to it, Rachel opening the window as high as it could get. I tried to go first, but found my self stuck as I tried to squeeze my way through.

"**What the...? Crap! I'm stuck, I'm stuck!**" I loudly whispered, trying to pull myself loose.

"Damnit man, we don't have time to try and pull you out!" Marcus exclaimed.

"S*** Al, I think they're searching the house!" Rachel said after hearing the front door shut.

"**Marcus, if you have an idea to get me loose, do it!**"

I couldn't tell what Marcus was doing after I said that, but I heard him tell my sister something. Before I could ask, I felt someone grab onto my abdomen. I was about to question what was going on until I felt a strong, flat kick on the bottom of it, shoving me through the window and plummeting to the ground. I cried out a bit, but stopped as I landed headfirst on the ground.

"**Oowww…**" I moaned, looking up and seeing Marcus hanging onto the edge of the window, then drop to the ground, landing on his feet. I picked myself up as he came running to me.

"Come on Al, we have to move, now!" he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me up completely and started running.

We both bolted to the forest, hoping to reach it before the cops look out the windows and see us. We ran the entire distance to the forest, not stopping for anything along the way. Marcus was ahead of me and already broke through the forest line. I was about to break through as well, but stopped short of it. I turned around to look back at my house. I know that I wouldn't be coming back for a while, but I felt that I shouldn't leave without saying goodbye. I let out a saddened sigh, knowing on how long I'm going to be gone.

_'Farewell mom, Jason, Lucas, Rachel. I hope to see each other again soon.'_ I sadly thought. If I would, there would be a single tear flowing from my eye.

"Hey, Hey! I see it!" I faintly heard someone yell, pulling me from my train of thought.

"**Oh s**t…!**" I muttered, turning around and running again.

The cops that searched my house were returning to their squad car, but unfortunately, saw me before they could get in.

-0-

"Command, Officer Johnson reporting in, suspects have been seen in the vicinity of the suspect house and are now fleeing. Requesting additional units and canine units immediately, over!" the first officer yelled into his radio, grabbing his pistol and give chase, his partner sprinting after him.

"Roger, units are dispatched to your location, ETA, ten minutes, over."

"Ten-four. Also, send an additional squad car at the suspect house to gather the residents for suspicion of housing said fugitives." Johnson said, running towards the forest where Aleron and Marcus were running into.

"Ten-four, additional squad car dispatched to your current location."

"Roger, over and out!"

-0-

_Aleron's POV:_

Damn it! Of all the times I had to say goodbye to my family is when I'm on the run from the cops. The ones who were inspecting my house are no doubt in pursuit of me and Marcus, and they also called for backup, meaning things are going to get a lot more interesting. Marcus was maneuvering around the trees while I was simply jumping over fallen ones. I was surprised on my mobility, since I could never keep up with Marcus before becoming this. I couldn't dwell on the thought anymore since I heard the yells of the cops who spotted us.

"Crap! I can tell that they don't intend on giving up huh?" Marcus called back to me.

"**Doubt it, but we have to keep moving, otherwise it's over if they catch us.**" I replied, leaping over another downed log.

Around ten minutes, we started to slow to save our energy. When exhaustion started to come in, Marcus took another bite of that berry N gave him, as well as letting me have a swig of the juice. After resting a bit for the effects to fully come, we took off running. I had no idea on how long, but it felt like an hour that we were running, though it was another fifteen minutes after our rest. We were about to have another rest, until I fell…

…into a pit-trap filled with leaves…

I yelped out in surprised, catching Marcus' attention as he saw me fall face-first into the leaves.

"HA! I can't believe some idiot fell for that!" I heard an annoyingly familiar voice bellow.

_'Ugh, of all the people… … …Butch…'_ I bitterly thought, trying to climb my way out.

Marcus came over to help seeing that I wouldn't be able to get out easily. As he was reaching down, I was able to hear Butch approaching.

"Who do we have here? Marcus?" I heard him question mockingly. "What's the son of Superman here for?"

"Yeah, what's Mr. Muscle doing here?" I heard his friend, Michael, ask as well.

"Oh wait… …if you're here, where's that weakling Aleron?" Butch asked after Michael.

"Can it Butch, we don't have the time." Marcus hissed, just now grabbing my outstretched arm.

"We? Oh so he is here." Butch said in a sickeningly calm tone. "Is he the one who fell in the pit?"

Marcus was able to pull me up, in which my head poked up over the edge. I got the reactions I was expecting; their eyes went wide, taking a few steps back, fingers pointing, etc.

"What the hell is _that_?" Michael questioned, somewhat hiding behind Butch.

Figuring I had enough of their stupidity for the time, I answered. "**I'm that 'weakling' Aleron. Got a problem?**"

Their jaws dropped at my response, in which I just sighed and turned to Marcus.

"**Come on, let's get out of here.**" I said to him, turning to walk away from the pit and deeper into the forest.

Marcus was following behind as well, but yet – typically – Butch wouldn't let us leave without saying one last thing…

"Heh, bet you must look too ugly for your mom now, wimp!" he insulted.

That insult hit me like a wrecking ball to a nail, making me stop dead in my tracks. Marcus almost ran into me, somewhat oblivious to what Butch said. I felt my anger skyrocket, the want to kill rising as well. That insult, was an all-time low that Butch did, and I almost wanted to kill him outright for it. However, as tempting as it was, it would only do much more harm than good. I just let out a long, vastly irritated sigh, before turning around and glaring at Butch, who had a smug grin on his face.

"**Butch.**" I simply started, readying myself for what I was going to say. "**A word. Now.**"

"Huh? What do you want?" he questioned in his usual tone.

I walked towards him, Michael figuring out what was wrong with me and cowering behind Butch. I stopped when I was a couple of yards away, looking up at the giant.

"**Okay, do you have any, **_**any**_**,**__**idea what I'm going through at the moment?**" I questioned, my tone rising. "**That insult hurt a lot more than you think, since my family is worried sick about me. Not only that, but not only are Marcus and I fugitives, I'm a fugitive from all of F**KING HUMANITY!**"I finished the last part yelling, and continuing from there.

"**I AM HAVING TO RUN FOR MY DAMN LIFE JUST SO THAT I CAN GET AWAY FROM NOT ONLY THE POLICE, BUT ALSO THE GOD DAMN MILITARY! AND THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES AFTER ME! I ALSO HAVE SOME PSYCHO GUY TRYING TO CAPTURE ME, WHO WOULD KILL ANYONE IN HIS WAY, JUST TO GET TO ME!**"

Butch was starting to back away, but I walked closer when he got further. "**AND ALL THAT YOU CAN THINK OF IS TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE MORE THAN IT ALREADY IS? HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH DURING SCHOOL? EVI-F**KING-DENTLY IT ISN'T, SINCE YOU HAD TO MOCK ME WHEN I'M MOST VULNERABLE!**" I stopped walking towards him as he backed into a tree. I hung my head low, my mind feeling tears forming. "**I know…that you pick on me… …just because I seemed weak, but doing so now? It just proved that you'll dive all the way down…to hurt…others…**"

I dropped to my knees, sobbing after I finished speaking. I was practically an emotional train wreck; my life was turned completely upside down in less than a full day, and now I'm on the run from everyone that wants to get me. I just sit there, sobbing because on how my life was going until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I thought it was Marcus trying to comfort me, but when I looked up, I was surprised that it was Michael who was holding onto me.

"**Michael…?**" I asked, not believing that he was showing sympathy towards me.

"Aleron…I'm sorry…" he simply said, kneeling to eye level to me.

I just stared into his eyes, trying to figure out if he's just doing this to gain my trust or is truly being honest. I could tell that he was nervous around me, no surprise there due to how I look.

"I…I'm sorry, for all the pain that I caused to you. If there's any way that I could help, I'll try and do so." he said.

Before I could try and ask for why he was willing to help me, I heard the sound of dogs barking. I snapped my head towards the source, the barking coming closer.

"**Damn, they brought dogs to hunt for us!**" I called out.

I quickly got up from my spot, Michael backing away from me as well, as I started running in the opposite direction while Marcus was following as well.

"Al!" I heard Butch call out to me. "We'll try and delay them! Get moving!"

I was a little surprised that Butch was willing to help, but shrugged it off as I focused on running. I felt that I wouldn't have to worry about those two trying to ruin my life any more.

-0-

"Canine units have found the suspects and are now in pursuit."

"Roger. We'll need a bird as well to track them. Mobility will be tough through the forests."

"Ten-four, helicopter dispatched and heading to assist units."

-0-

"I hope Aleron's okay…" Rachel stated, looking at Lucas.

"Same. He does look freaky, but I hope he and Marcus pull through as well." Lucas answered, looking out the windows of the sitting room. He got up and was about to head upstairs, but harsh knocking on the door interrupted him.

"Murfreesboro City Police Department, open up!" another officer yelled.

Lucas stopped short of the first stair as Terra moved past him, opening the door.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You are all under arrest." the officer said bluntly.

"Wait, what for?" Terra demanded.

"For housing potentially dangerous criminals. You have the right to remain silent" the officer, along with a second one coming along the sidewalk to the door, pulled out handcuffs. "and anything said can and will be used in a court of law."

-0-

**Whoa, talk about interesting events happening. Al and Marcus are now fleeing from the police, Al's family is now under arrest for housing them for the night, Butch and Michael have pretty much changed their opinion about Aleron now…**

**I'm sorry if this chapter took way too long to come out, but I'm trying to truck on through while trying to avoid as many plot holes as possible. The reason for this is that there are planned appearances for characters from other stories prior to this one starting that will assist Aleron and Marcus. One such planned appearance was Teresa, who was originally going to show up in this chapter to help the duo evade the cops.**

**NanoCarp: Umm… I have to admit here that I'm partially at fault for the delay. I was a few days late getting around to beta-reading this. Sorry about that folks.**


End file.
